Kearney, Neb. – Redshirt freshman Brayden Sorensen won the high jump, redshirt junior Mackenzie Puckett was runner up in the triple jump and redshirt sophomore Luke Stuckey broke the 1,500-meter school record at the 2021 MIAA Outdoor Championships in Pittsburg, Kan.

The two-day meet began on Saturday morning and wrapped up Sunday night. Teams will now take part in "Last Chance" meets next week with the NCAA Outdoor Championships set for later this month in Michigan. 

On Saturday, Kansas freshman Jaida McEwen broke a 19-year-old UNK record in the javelin (147-9) while Central City redshirt junior Andrew Schuller tied his own school record in the hammer (194-2). Those efforts helped both rank inside the Division II top 20. 

Sorensen (Kearney H.S.), the 2021 MIAA Indoor high jump champ, collected another gold thanks to clearing 6-10.25 today. He becomes the eighth Loper man to win an MIAA outdoor title and helps UNK repeat as high jump champ. Florida junior Montrez Jackson was first at the 2019 meet and tied for sixth today (6-4) with Lincoln redshirt junior Jacob Dowd fourth (6-6). This event thus resulted in 16.5 points for the Loper cause.

Puckett (Grand Island H.S.) leaped a career-best 39-9.25 to not only finish second but also move up a spot to third on UNK's all-time top 10 list. Central Missouri freshman Kayla Goodwin was the MIAA champ thanks to a big leap of 40-9.75.
 

Next, Stuckey (York H.S.) was third in the 1,500 and second in the 800 to tally 14 team points. His time of 3:47.53 in the 1,500 just breaks Cole Wellnitz's school mark of 3:47.64, set in May 2017. Later he ran a 1:57.60 in the 800 finals to only trail Pittsburg State's Mason Strader (1:57.10). Also here was Hastings sophomore Seth Simonson in eighth (1:59.93).

In the team race the Loper men scored 61.50 points to edge out Washburn for seventh while just trailing Fort Hays State (65). The host PSU Gorillas won (172.50) with rival Missouri Southern a distant runner up (137). The Lions did take the women's title (145) with UCM a closer second (129). The Lopers scored 51 points to come eighth, just ahead of Emporia State and behind the WU Ichabods (66).

McCook redshirt junior Tiara Schmidt (3rd/47-11) and Taylor redshirt freshman Jordan Dockweiler (4th/career-best 46-10.25) both scored in the shot with Imperial senior Destiny Reinke fifth in the steeple (career-best 11:24.85). Dockweiler moves into 10th on the Loper all-time list with Reinke up a spot to fifth in the steeple top 10.

The other women's scorers on Sunday were Funk redshirt sophomore Baylee Barnett in the 1,500 (6th/4:44.97), Kearney senior Anna Squiers (7th/152-4) and Colorado redshirt junior Logan Prater (6th/152-4) in the discus and the 4x4 relay team (6th/3:53.42). The group was anchored by Gothenburg redshirt freshman Hannah Anderson.

For the UNK men, Schuller came in seventh in the discus (166-5) with Ainsworth redshirt freshman Ben Arens fifth in the steeple (9:13.18) and Wallace redshirt freshman Micah Swedberg third in the 400 finals (48.61). He then ran led for the sixth place 4x4 relay team that turned in a 3:19.15).

UNK is home twice next weekend at KHS with the Loper Twilight #1 and Loper Twilight #2.