Entering the Denison University Last Chance Invitational on Friday, Jadah Jones ’18 had no idea she would walk away with a Kenyon record in the weight throw. Jones helped lead the team with a handful of other underclassmen as Kenyon breezed through the unscored meet in preparation for the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championship meet.

Ben Weinberg ’18 delivered a ninth-place finish out of 13 competitors in the 400-meter dash with a time of 56.46 seconds. “I just had fun with it,” Weinberg said.

Jordan Potter ’19 placed ninth out of 15 in the men’s weight throw, delivering a distance of 37 feet, 7.25 inches. Potter also came in 12th place out of 19 in the shot put with a distance of 39 feet, five inches.

Later, in the 800-meter race, Alton Barbehenn ’17 garnered a 12th-place finish out of 28 competitors, finishing in 2:04.17.

The Ladies had a successful trip to Granville, with many strong showings from younger members of the team.

Funmilayo Lawal ’18 brought home Kenyon’s best individual finish at the meet for shot put. Her throw of 37 feet, 1.75 inches placed her sixth, while Jadah Jones ’18 came in 14th out of the 20 throwers. The highlight of the meet for Jones came in the weight throw, in which she bested the previous Kenyon record, held by Lawal, of 38 feet, 4.75 inches.

“I had this huge smile on my face,” Jones said. Her throw of 38 feet, 7.5 inches placed ninth out of 18. Four first-year runners competed in the 800-meter race, with Megan Gothard delivering the best finish, coming in 20th out of 37 competitors.

“When I found out I broke the record for weight, I was ecstatic,” Jones said. She only realized she had broken the record when her teammates and coach came to congratulate her. “I want to continue to improve and end the indoor season strong and with no regrets,” Jones said.

“Both teams are really young,” Head Coach Duane Gomez said of the Lords and Ladies. “We still have a long way to go but everyone is improving, and they have great attitudes.” The teams used the Denison Last Chance meet to gain momentum and hone their skills for the upcoming conference championship and outdoor season.

Following the meet on Friday, some Kenyon athletes competed at the NCAC Multi-Event meet on Sunday. Mary Lauletta ’17 took eighth out of nine in the pentathlon while Colton Orr ’18 and Alex Benthem de Grave ’16 placed sixth and seventh, respectively, out of 10 in the heptathlon.

Moving forward, the team hopes to keep their heads up. “There’s struggles and there’s triumphs and you just look for all the positive things,” Gomez said. The Lords and Ladies will move into the close of their indoor season with the championship this weekend.

“The Last Chance meet definitely gives me momentum and motivation to perform even better at NCACs this Friday,” Jones said.

The Lords and Ladies return to Gambier to host the NCAC Indoor Track and Field Championship on March 4 at noon.