By Jacob Norling
March 5, 2022
 
(BROOKINGS, S.D.) Westmont Men's and Women's Track and Field left Brookings, South Dakota with their heads high on Saturday night. On the final day of the NAIA Indoor National Championships, the Warriors earned eight NAIA All-American honors.
 
Of the six Warriors to achieve All-American status on Saturday, four of them earned the honor for the first time in their collegiate careers.
 
"It was a good day," said Westmont assistant coach Lindsey Connolly. "Some years we come out and don't have anyone competing on the last day. To have as many as we did today, and to have them perform like they did, made it a really good day."
 
Anneline Breytenbach opened the memorable day when competed in the finals of the women's mile. Yesterday, Breytenbach ran the mile in 5:05.59, and in doing so, secured the 10th and final spot in the finals of the event.
 
Today, Breytenbach was a blink faster, finishing the race in 5:05.10. Most importantly, Breytenbach finished the race ahead of three other finalists, meaning as the seventh place finisher, Breytenbach had just raced her way to NAIA All-American honors.
 
It is the second All-American honor for Breytenbach, who first achieved the honor this fall in cross country.
 
"I feel great right now," said Breytenbach minutes before taking the podium. "The adrenaline was pumping and I was telling coach that, honestly, it felt like the easiest mile I've done. It took a few days to settle in and get in the groove, but then I really had fun today. I'm excited to do it again"
 
Yesterday, after competing in the preliminaries of the men's mile, Zola Sokhela said he was looking forward to competing against a pair of teammates from Oklahoma City, Zouhair Talbi and Shimales Abebe. The two teammates, whom Sokhela holds great respect for, lived up to their hype in the finals of the men's mile.
 
Sokhela finished the men's mile with a time of 4:09.14, which earned him a third-place finish and another NAIA All-American honor. Talbi won the race with a time of 4:07.27, while Abebe came in second with a time of 4:08.39.
 
"Respect to them," said a proud Sokhela. "I did the best I possibly could, and it was an all-African affair up front. That was a lot of fun."
 
The mile was Sokhela's fifth NAIA All-American honor in two semesters at Westmont.
 
Next to compete for the Warriors was Lily Sween in the women's high jump. Unfortunately, Sween's day did not proceed beyond the first bar, as she was unable to clear 1.60m (5-3) in three attempts.
 
The penultimate event of the day for Westmont was the men's 1000 meter race. Sokhela came into the race with the second-best time in prelims, while Jack Vanden Heuvel posted the sixth-best time.
 
On Saturday, Sokhela led for the first 700 meters of the race, before St. Mary's (Kansas) Luke Skinner shifted gears in the final 300. Skinner ended up winning the event after coming in with a time of 2:25.93.
 
Sokhela earned his sixth NAIA All-American honor with a second place finish and a time of 2:26.43.
 
"I felt good; originally I thought I was going to feel tired after the mile," offered Sokhela. "The 1000 definitely didn't go according to plan. I didn't plan on leading, but I just went with it, and then (Skinner) came out of nowhere.
 
"Coming in second and third in national events two hours apart is still really good, so I'm happy."
 
Vanden Heuvel finished the race in 2:31.11, which was eighth amongst the finalists, earning the freshman his first NAIA All-American honor. While Vanden Heuvel walked away from the day with a plaque and his head high, he still admitted to not feeling his best during the race.
 
"I didn't feel as focused today," reflected Vanden Heuvel, "but, I was still stoked to be out here and I am stoked to be a part of this team. This group has so much potential. We just have to put our heads down and get ready for outdoors now."
 
Indoor Nationals came to a close for Westmont in the early evening when the women took part in the distance medley relay finals. On Thursday, the group posted a time of 12:07.80 in the event's preliminaries, which was 12 seconds faster than their previous best.
 
On Saturday, the women came close to setting another personal record, and while they didn't, they still improved upon their ranking going into the finals. With a time of 12:08.51, Kari Anema, Jaiden Rodrigues, Abigail Hundley, and Breytenbach earned a fourth place finish, and NAIA All-American honors. For Anema, Rodrigues, and Hundley, the All-American honor is their first.
 
"After getting over the initial nerves, Indoor Nationals is so fun," said Hundley, who, like her sister Madden in 2021, earned her first All-American at Indoor Nationals. "It's such a blast to give it all your effort and work for what you've been aiming for all week.
 
"I'm so proud of my team. Being able to compete together, we felt fresher than ever, and we are just so grateful for the opportunity to be on the track together."
 
"It was a great day, and finishing it off with an All-American relay made it even better," said Connolly. "All three of the first legs PR'd. For Anneline, that was her fourth mile of the weekend. She held it together, gave it all she could, and it was a better finish than we could even hope for."
 
Overall, the men's team finished 17th out of 61 schools, while the women finished 34th of 57.
 
The Warriors return to action next Friday at the Gaucho Invitational in Santa Barbara. For the next two months, Westmont will now set their sights on the NAIA Outdoor National Championships, which will take place in Gulf Shores, Alabama at the end of May.
 
"After seeing what these athletes did today," began Connolly, "I'd say things are looking promising for Alabama."