OBERLIN, Ohio - February 28, 2025 - Hiram embraced the challenge of the NCAC Indoor Championships on Friday, as two student-athletes earned all-conference honors and multiple program records fell yet again on Day 1 of the event.

Gavin Dunn was the NCAC champion in the long jump (7.04m) and Karalyn Rutkowski earned all-conference thanks to a third-place finish in the high jump (1.56m). Dunn is the first conference champion since the program returned to competition in 2023-24, while Rutkowski is the first women's all-conference athlete during that span, too.

Men's Recap

Dunn, who already holds the program record in the long jump, leaped beyond the competition yet again to start the day. The freshman from Apopka, FL won the long jump with a mark of 7.04m; no other student-athlete in the competition reached 7.00m, a testament to the talent of Dunn and his rapid rise to the top of the collegiate leaderboard.

Sebastian Regalado had a strong showing in the 60-meter hurdles (9.19) and Kyle Filkill ranked in the middle of the field in the 200-meter dash (23.66); both of those student-athletes missed out on the finals, but each placed above a number of other talented athletes in the conference. Kamran Walton rounded out the sprinting events with a time of 52.63 in the 400-meter dash.

DeAco Curry was next to make the final cut, ranking eighth in the preliminary field with a time of 2:00.39 in the 800-meter run. The final for that event will take place on Saturday.

Christian Berish capped off the highly successful day for the team by breaking his own program record in the weight throw (11.85m).

Women's Recap

Rutkowski got Hiram on the board by edging past the competition and placing third in the high jump (1.56m) to earn her first NCAC All-Conference award. The result earned the Terriers six points, which later helped the team to a seventh-place tie with host Oberlin in the Day 1 team standings.

Makyndree Smith set a new PR and broke the program record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.55. The sophomore from Parrish, FL was just three spots away from qualifying for the final, but had officially edged out her teammate (Trezure Bates, 9.60) for the program record.

One of the biggest highlights of the day was in the distance medley relay, which saw the team of Elaine Guyette, Alisah Ward, McKenzie Riley and Kylie Moser post a new program record time of 13:29.29. The impressive mark ranked sixth in the conference, earned Hiram another 3 points, and beat the previous record from the 2003 season (13:29.64).

What's Next

The NCAC Indoor Championships wrap up on Saturday at 10 a.m. in Oberlin, Ohio.