By Jacob Norling
May 24, 2023
 
(MARION, Ind.) Westmont Men's and Women's Track and Field began competition in their final NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships on Wednesday, when the festivities opened up in Marion, Indiana. The Warriors had several athletes competing on Wednesday, and by night's end had their first tickets punched into the finals of multiple events.
 
The headline of the day one, however, belonged to Westmont's Abby Rumohr, who at long last achieved NAIA All-American status in the women's pole vault.
 
Rumohr has been within a clearance or two of All-American honors on multiple occasions in the past, including as recently as this March, when the junior finished in 10th place at Indoor Nationals. Today, Rumohr cleared 3.45m and 3.50m on her second try at each height, before clearing 3.60m on her first attempt.
 
Then, after failing to get over the bar at 3.65m on her first two attempts, Rumohr tied her career-best clearance of 3.65m on her third attempt, putting her within one clearance of All-American honors with nine competitors remaining.
 
On her first attempt at 3.70m (12-1.75), Rumohr became only the third woman in program history to clear the height, putting All-American honors within sight. After the eventual ninth-place finisher failed to clear 3.70m, Rumohr and her coach, Brett Shagena, embraced, as Rumohr had finally gotten over the hump in her final NAIA meet.
 
Rumohr was unable to clear 3.75m, but finished the pole vault in sixth place, allowing the junior to leave with an NAIA All-American medal for the first time in her career.
 
"Indoors was really disappointing for me this year," acknowledged Rumohr. "I really wanted to be an All-American, I really wanted a PR, and I had a chance to do both, but failed to do so. The fact that I did both here, is huge.
 
"It was my last shot, and I pulled through. I couldn't be more stoked about that. The whole way down the runway I was just wanting to give glory to the Lord. He's gotten me here, and I'm glorifying Him with this ability that He's given me."
 
Shagena echoed Rumohr, saying, "She did it all to glorify God, and she did just that. I'm so proud of her. She's put so much work in this past year, and the years leading up to this as well. She deserves this one."
 
When asked about becoming a top-three pole vaulter in program history, a surprised Rumohr smiled, laughed, and said, "That's pretty cool. I didn't know that. I'm someone that doesn't like to know numbers or records until I've gotten results. Not that it's over, knowing that, that's pretty exciting."
 
Also competing for the women on Wednesday were the Hundley sisters, who competed in the preliminaries of the 1500 meter run. Madden Hundley posted a time of 4:54.08, and Abigail Hundley posted a time of 4:54.92. Madden finished prelims in 15th, while Abigail finished in 17th, which unfortunately was not high enough to advance either to the 1500 finals.
 
Westmont's 4x100 meter relay team of McKenna Phillips, Siena Keck, Jaiden Rodrigues, and Charlotte Williams posted a time of 47.91 in the prelims of the race. With the 21st-highest time of prelims, the relay team was unable to advance to the finals of the race.
 
For the men, Westmont's first advancement belonged to junior Zola Sokhela, who entered the week with 11 NAIA All-American honors. On Wednesday, Sokhela posted the fourth-fastest time of the 1500 meter prelims, advancing to Friday's finals with a time of 3:54.02. 
 
Sokhela won the 1500 meter final as a freshman in 2021, before finishing the event in third place a year ago.
 
Also competing in the 1500 meter run prelims was senior Adam King, who posted a time of 3:58.71. With an 18th-place finish, King was unable to advance to Friday's finals.
 
King and Sokhela had a couple hours to gather themselves, before teaming up with Andres Leon and Jack Vanden Heuvel in the prelims of the 4x800 meter relay. The group that has grown accustomed to All-American honors in recent years gave themselves the opportunity to do so again, as the men posted the third-best time of prelims, crossing the finish line at 7:39.29.
 
On Thursday night at 6:30 p.m., the men will attempt to both set the program record, and win a national championship. While typically Sokhela runs only the prelims of the relay, before focusing on his individual events, Sokhela plans on competing alongside his teammates on Thursday, as the group chases history.
 
"From a personal level, it's meaningful to do the same events that I did my freshman year, my first year in the NAIA," explained Sokhela. "This being our last NAIA Championships, it seems right to go out and give it the best chance we have.
 
"Ideally, if it's a perfect day, we go for the school record. That would mean we'd have that record forever, and I'd love to be a part of that. I'm grateful to be a part of the strongest four we could put out there, team wise. Andres has been working hard all season, and Jack and Adam, same goes for them. Being a part of this team is special, and no one could say no if being asked to give it one last shot with those guys."
 
Rounding out the day for Westmont's men's team was senior Danny Rubin, who competed in the prelims of the men's 3000 meter steeplechase. Rubin completed the event in 24th with a time of 9:55.45, which was not enough to advance the senior to Friday's steeplechase finals.
 
Competing all day long on Wednesday for Westmont was senior Lily Sween, who is competing in her final collegiate heptathlon. At the end of day one, Sween was in 12th place with 2.643 points. The eighth-place athlete in the heptathlon currently has 2,759 points, with the leader boasting 2,927 points.
 
Sween's best events of day one were the high jump and the shot put, both of which she finished in the upper-half of competitors. With a clearance of 1.58 (5-2.25), Sween finished the high jump in fifth place, and with a mark of 10.75m (33-3.25), Sween finished the shot put in seventh.
 
Sween's 100 meter hurdle time was 17.04 (18th), and her 200 meter dash time was 26.43 (eighth).
 
On Thursday Sween will conclude competition in the heptathlon, with the long jump opening things up at 10:00 a.m. EST. The javelin and 800 meter run will wrap up Sween's week, as she chases an All-American honor in her final collegiate meet.
 
Also for the women, Keck, Phillips, Williams, and Rodrigues will compete in the prelims of the 4x400 meter relay.
 
For the men on Thursday, Narindra Rafidimalala will compete in the long jump at 2:30 p.m., Sokhela and Vanden Heuvel will compete in the men's 800 meter prelims at 2:50 p.m., and Simeon Michelson will compete in the 5000 meter race walk at 5:15 p.m.
 
The men's day will come to an end at 6:30 p.m., when they chase history in the finals of the 4x800 meter relays.