MARYVILLE, Mo. — Pittsburg State University’s storied track and field team had a bit of a local flavor as the Gorilla men’s team won their fourth consecutive MIAA team championship over the weekend.
Humboldt natives Drew Wilhite and Maddox Johnson were a part of the action in their first year of competition at PSU.
Wilhite, a 2022 Humboldt High graduate, is a redshirt freshman for the Gorillas.
He earned the silver medal in the decathlon, a competition consisting of 10 separate track and field disciplines.
Meanwhile Johnson, a freshman and member of Humboldt’s Class of 2023, set a career high in the javelin, taking fifth with a throw of 212 feet, 11 inches, or 64.91 meters.
Their contributions helped the Gorillas rack up a team score of 186.5 points, easily outpacing runner-up Missouri Southern’s 119.
“We have a great team with great coaches, and an energy that emanates from practice,” Johnson said. “Everybody has bought in, and we have coaches who push us to be the best we can be.”
THE DECATHLON is perhaps track and field’s truest measure of overall athletic ability as entrants compete in sprinting and distance runs.
For Wilhite, that meant expanding his training regiment from high school, where he focused almost entirely on the high jump and some running distances.
“During my first visit (to PSU) my head coach thought I should try it,” Wilhite said.
It also meant going through a “redshirt” year at Pitt State — training for a full year without competing, thus preserving four years of college eligibility.
“It was really hard not to get to compete last year, but in the end, it was the best decision I’ve made,” Wilhite said. “It really helped me improve. I think I’ve surprised myself and my coaches.”
Out of the 13 entrants, Wilhite had the:
— Sixth-best time in the 100-meter dash (11.08 seconds)
— Fourth-best long jump mark (22’3.5” or 6.79 meters)
