Cedar Rapids, Iowa - The Central Methodist men's track and field team delivered a strong performance at the 2026 Heart of America Outdoor Championships, finishing second in a highly competitive meet held at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Eagles compiled 134 points through a balanced effort across sprints, distance events, relays, and field competitions. Benedictine claimed the team title with 147 points, while Park placed third with 118.
Central's success was fueled by a mix of emerging freshmen and experienced upperclassmen, producing multiple individual champions and relay victories over the two-day competition.
Freshman Isaac Lawson led the charge with one of the meet's most impressive performances. He captured titles in both the 200-meter dash (21.23) and 400-meter dash (47.23) setting school records in both races and contributing 20 points to the team total. Lawson also ran on two championship relay teams and finished as the top-scoring freshman at the meet with 25 points overall.
In the hurdles, Tyrone Summerall won the 400-meter hurdles in 52.09 seconds, a new conference record. Sophomore Logan Bass added a second-place finish in 52.51, giving the Eagles a crucial 18 points in the event.
Central dominated the 800 meters, sweeping the top two spots. Junior Corlando Chambers won the event in 1:50.55, followed closely by Oliver Cabana in 1:50.76. Dimitrios Gkantatsios added depth with a sixth-place finish.
The Eagles' relay teams proved decisive. The 4x100-meter relay team of Che Wickham, Charles Young, Lawson, and Wilton George posted a conference record winning time of 40.48. In the 4x400-meter relay, Bass, Lawson, Chambers, and Summerall finished first in 3:11.81 to also set a new conference meet record. The 4x800-meter relay team placed second, earning additional points.
In field events, Brian Shine led the way with a runner-up finish in the triple jump (14.76 meters) and also scored in the high jump. Ryan Graves contributed in the high jump, while Neil Green and Myron Love added points in the pole vault, each clearing 4.05 meters.
Wyatt Smith and Austin Foye provided valuable contributions in the shot put with throws of 14.46 and 14.05 meters, respectively.
In the decathlon, Waisale Inoke turned in a strong performance, recording multiple personal bests and event wins, including the long jump, shot put, and discus. He finished second overall with 5,888 points.
Additional scoring came from Wickham, who placed fifth in the 100-meter final, along with Cortney Watkins and Bass in the 110-meter hurdles finals.
Central Methodist will now prepare for the NAIA National Championships, which begin May 20 in Asheville, North Carolina.
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