Rio Grande's Tyler Jenkins crosses the finish line in first place during Saturday's Men's 1,500-meter run as part of the River States Conference Track and Field Championships at the Stockmeister Track and Field. Jenkins set a new conference record in the event, finishing in 4:01.13.

Posted: Feb 18, 2023

Rio's Jenkins named RSC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year after record-setting day

Rio Grande/RSC Sports Information
LOGAN, Ohio - University of Rio Grande freshman Tyler Jenkins set a pair of meet records and was named River States Conference Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in leading the RedStorm at Saturday's 2023 RSC Championships at Logan High School's Chieftain Center.
Jenkins, a native of Barnesville, Ohio, won the mile and 3,000-meter races setting meet records in both. He scored 21 points for fourth overall in the meet, with all of the points coming on the track.
Jenkins' record-setting marks of 4:23.37 in the mile and 8:43.17 in the 3,000 meter-run, were among 10 records set on the day. He was one of four runners to break the previous mark in the 3,000.
Sophomore Skylar Gries (Williamsburg, OH) also gave the RedStorm a first-place finish and a new meet record in the pole vault with his effort of 4.41m.
Rio also got a first-place performance from junior Eric Weber (Bidwell, OH), who won the weight throw with a personal record effort of 15.25m.
As a team, Rio Grande finished in third place among the 12 competing schools with 115 points.
Point Park University claimed the title with a meet record of 251.50 points. It was the Pioneers' third straight indoor championship and their fifth in the sixh years.
Indiana University East topped Rio for runner-up honors, tallying 148 points.
The Point Park men won 10 events on the day and also had a number of all-conference performances. The top eight finishers in each event scored points for their team, and the top three were named all-conference.
Point Park's Collins Eze was named Field Athlete of the Year. He was third overall in points for the meet with 24, all of which came in the field.
The Pioneers had six of the top nine men's point scorers in the meet, which included two athletes ahead of Eze on the Point Park team - overall points leader Daimere Stephens-Stewart with 35 and freshman Peter Dorando, who was second overall with 30 points.
Eze, he won the triple jump, placed second to Dorando in the high jump and was third in the long jump behind Stephens-Stewart and another athlete.
Stephens-Stewart broke three records on the day - two on the track and one in the field. He qualified for NAIA nationals in all three events. His records came in the 60 meters (6.86 seconds), 200 meters (22.25 seconds) and long jump (7.15 meters).
IU East's Chance Klipstone broke the meet record in the 800 meters with a time of 1:57.13, while Elijah James from Point Park broke the 600-meter record with a time of 1:23.33.
Two relay records were also broken on the day. Point Park broke the record in the 4x800 with a time of 8:01.91, while IU East finished off the day with a distance-medley relay record time of 10:40.45.
Point Park head coach Tim Creamer was named RSC Coach of the Year. He led the Pioneers to a meet record for points, eclipsing last year's record of 242.
Rio Grande had 14 other scoring outings on an individual basis, along with three relay units which produced points.
The group of notables included freshman Daunevyn Woodson (Gallipolis, OH), who placed second in the long jump with a leap of 6.87m, seventh in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.14 and seventh in the 200-meter dash with a mark of 23.36; junior Travis Hunt (New Paris, OH), who finished second and set a new school record in the triple jump with an effort covering 13.68m; junior Tristan Janey (Crown City, OH), who was the runner-up in the 3,000-meter race walk with a time of 17:12.88; Gries, who also finished third in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.80; sophomore Danuel Persinger (Bidwell, OH), who was fourth in both the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:41.66 and in the 1-mile run with a mark of 4:33.10; junior Kyle Lightner (Peebles, OH), who was fourth in the 800-meter run after crossing in 2:01.22; sophomore Marshall Jackson (Bellefontaine, OH), who took fourth in the shot put with a toss of 14.09m; junior Haden Karshner (Circleville, OH), who was fifth in the weight throw at 13.91m and eighth in the shot put with a heave of 13.41m; freshman Hunter Blagg (Ironton, OH), who grabbed fifth place in the pole vault after clearing 3.35m; and sophomore Andrew Skaggs (Minford, OH), who was eighth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.09.
Rio's 4x400 relay squad - comprised of sophomore Nathaniel Davis (Pitsburg, OH), freshman Casey Doerr (Wheelersburg, OH), Lightner and freshman Mugisha Pomossene (Cincinnati, OH) - finished second in a time of 3:47.92.
The RedStorm's 4x800 entry, which included sophomore Jason Springer (Circleville, OH), junior Austin Setty (Fairfield, OH), Lightner and Pomossene was fifth with a time of 8:57.91.
Also finishing fifth was Rio's Distance Medley Relay unit in a time of 11:22.81. The quartet was made up of Persinger, Lightner, Springer and Jenkins.
The RSC Men's Indoor Track & Field Champions of Character Team was also selected with one team member from each school named for best representing the five character values of the NAIA: respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship.
Rio's representative on the list was Eric Weber.