By Jacob Norling
May 10, 2024
 
(COLUMBIA, S.C.) Westmont Men's and Women's Track and Field brought an end to the 2023-24 school year on Friday in Columbia, South Carolina, where the Warriors wrapped things up at the National Christian College Athletic Association Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.
 
By meet's end Westmont laid claim to 16 NCCAA All-American honors, while bringing home NCCAA titles in three events. Westmont's first championship came late on Thursday night, when their men's 4x800 meter relay team took home gold. Under the lights at Columbia International University, Phineas Bonner, Luke Hein, Andres Leon, and Jack Vanden Heuvel ran a 7:45.55, putting the quartet atop the podium.
 
Vanden Heuvel, a former NAIA All-American, said, "We've added some really good freshmen. It's so fun having new faces around that can really compete. Being out here with them, and getting to have an end-of-the-year competition, it's been great. Any type of championship racing is a lot of fun."
 
On the women's side, the Warriors earned some more hardware during the 4x800. Abigail Hundley, Claire Van Horn, Sophia Morton, and Landon Torres earned NCCAA All-Americans honors during the race with a time of 9:44.88, which was good for a runner-up finish in the relay.
 
"This has been super exciting," said Torres. "Personally, this is my first time competing in any kind of national race. I know this isn't the case for everyone, but for me, all of these feelings are new. It makes it exciting. With that, I got a little excited chasing down the girl in front of me, so my first 200 was a little fast, but I was able to stay within chasing distance to get her in the end."
 
On Friday morning, a busy day for the Warriors began in grand style when transfer Bryce Gardhouse finished his first season in a Westmont uniform with a bang. With a time of 14:46.47 in the men's 5,000 meter run, Gardhouse became Westmont's first individual National Champion at the event.
 
Gardhouse would later on be joined by Narindra Rafidimalala, who took home top-honors in the men's long with an event-best mark of 7.20m. Rafidimalala nearly won two titles during the meet's final day, but settled for another NCCAA All-American honor with a runner-up finish in the men's 200 meter dash (22.03).
 
"I just want to thank our lord and savior, Jesus Christ," assured Rafidimalala. "He's the only reason I'm here. I also want to thank my coaches, and Westmont College in general. It's been an amazing year for us, and I'm just happy to get to compete in a national setting."
 
Friday also brought an end to the career of Abby Rumohr, one of Westmont's best pole vaulters in program history. Rumohr, a former NAIA All-American, added one more feather to her cap, after earning NCCAA All-American status with a second-place finish. Rumohr's best clearance during the competition was 3.60m.
 
When asked what she'd remember most about wearing a Westmont uniform, Rumhor said, "The friendships. I feel so deeply honored and blessed to have been a part of that. Anneline Breytenbach, Ben Bodine, and Gretchen Scherrei are some of my best friends. Friends that I would say are going to be life-long friends.
 
"I feel so blessed to have had the honor to be their friend, learn with them, and grow with them. Watching how they experience success and failure, it's inspired me to be a better person. They have strengthened my faith."
 
Rumohr continued, "I have to mention how generous Coach Smelley has been, with both his time and his resources. I would not be here without his generosity. As bummed as I am that this is it, I just feel grateful that I got to be here."
 
Rumohr and the rest of Westmont's women ended the meet in sixth place out of 23 teams with 50 points.
 
The meet came to an end in emotional fashion, as the freshly-graduated Ben Bodine anchored the final race of his Westmont career, the men's 4x400 meter relay. Lin, Hein, and Vanden Heuvel all did their part to set up a fitting swan song for Bodine, handing the graduate the baton with 400 meters to go in the middle of the pack.
 
In what looked to be a fifth or six place finish for Westmont, the event ended with NCCAA All-American honors for the relay team. This was thanks to a mad-dash from Bodine, who catapulted the Warriors into third place with his final strides in a Westmont uniform.
 
Bodine was asked what went through his mind when he received the baton for the final time, and said, "To be honest, grabbing the baton didn't feel any different. Crossing the finish line, though, everything felt different."
 
Upon the completion of his race, Bodine received a hero's welcome from not only his relay companions, but each and every one of his Westmont teammates who made sure their captain knew he'd be missed.
 
"There were a lot of emotions in that moment," reflected Bodine. "The second half of this year was tough for me. I strained one hamstring and pulled the other one twice. I missed a meet, and missed a lot of workouts. You can look at earlier today, my open 400 was garbage.
 
"All of that in my mind, there were a lot more nerves going into this one knowing this was my last race in a Westmont uniform. I knew my hamstring was acting up, but I knew I couldn't let the guys down. When I crossed that line, and knew I ran a decent leg, there was just a rush of relief.
 
"I think our entire team understood what was going on. It was special to end my Westmont career on a redemptive note, and it was even more special to have my teammates celebrate with me the way they did."
 
When asked what he'll remember most about his time at Westmont, Bodine said, "I think I'll remember the balance. While we have a competitive team, and a lot of very talented runners, the culture that Coach Smelley has created is special.
 
"I felt pressure to perform because I didn't want to let the other guys down, but I never felt any pressure to impress Coach Smelley. I knew that even if I ran poorly, it wouldn't change his opinion of me. I'm going to remember how we strived to win, but I'm going to remember most of all how our performance never indicated our worth."
 
As a team, Westmont's men ended the meet in fourth place out of 25 teams with 69 points. At night's end, Westmont head coach Russell Smelley placed the team's fourth-place plaque in the hands of Bodine, with no intentions of having it returned.
 
"That was really special," said Bodine, grinning ear-to-ear. "In all honesty, it wasn't my best meet today. I think that reflects the point I just made, though. It didn't change how Coach saw me, and it didn't change my value. That was definitely the bow-on-top moment."
 
After summer vacation, Smelley's Warriors will return to competition this fall in the PacWest, when Westmont's Cross Country team finds its way back to the hills of Montecito.