Alma College’s record-breaking indoor track season

LIATHANO RAMIREZ
PHOTOGRAPHER

JON BEERBOWER
STAFF WRITER

2/12/2024

The indoor track season at Alma College is currently ablaze with excitement as athletes showcase their speed, endurance and sportsmanship on the track while leaving competitors in awe of their remarkable performances. 

Records continue to be shattered at each and every meet and teamwork prevails in order to craft an unforgettable season that will be etched in the memories of all who witness it and that will forever change record books.

At the WHAC vs. MIAA Challenge hosted by Aquinas College on Feb. 9, the impressive Helena Snyder (‘25) broke the 60-meter hurdles record not once but twice. In the preliminary race, she ran a time of 9.72 seconds which was good to break the record by 0.09 seconds. Not much later she lined up for finals where she dropped a phenomenal 9.65. 

But record-breaking is not new to Snyder. At the SVSU Holiday Classic on Dec. 1, she crushed the pentathlon record by 285 points. The pentathlon consists of five events: 60m hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump and the 800m run. Snyder’s 800m time of 2:32.26 also placed her seventh on the top-ten list. 

Landon Jennings (’24) has continued to be a standout in the 400-meter sprint, blazing past competitors with a record-breaking time of 51.94 seconds, solidifying his place as one of the top sprinters in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) conference.

Additionally, the men’s 4×400-meter relay team of Jennings, Leland Edelyn (‘27), Anderson Strand (‘25) and Will Maginity (‘25) ran a time of 3:34.70 which placed them at eighth all-time on the top-ten list for indoor track and field. 

Freshman Lauren Brawt (’27) has been a force to be reckoned with and set a new school record for the 600-meter run in her first time racing the event with a remarkable time of 1:44.31 at the Jack Skoog Invite and CMU on Jan. 20. Her performance, which shattered the previous record by nearly 6 seconds, is a testament to her dedication to her sport. 

Brawt has also jumped to impressive feats in the long jump, where she jumped 5.09 meters and missed the school record by just one centimeter. 

In the middle-distance events, the men’s 800-meter race has been fiercely competitive, with athletes like Jacob Campbell (’24) and Braxton Lamey (’24) pushing each other to break new limits at every competition. Their neck-and-neck finishes at recent meets highlight the intensity and skill displayed by Alma Scots athletes in every race. 

The Scots’ track athletes are clearly making themselves known with their top finishes. This winning momentum has been carried into the field events, too.

In the hammer throw, Liathano Ramirez (’26) has been making waves with her exceptional throws, including a recent feat measuring an impressive 13.76 meters. This even landed her as a recent Scot of the Week.

As the indoor track season progresses, Alma College athletes are gearing up for the MIAA finals on Feb. 24, with two more meets remaining to build upon their positive momentum and solidify their place in the record books. 

With each race, they continue to inspire and captivate audiences with their record-breaking talents and abilities. For more information on Alma College Track and Field, visit almascots.com and join in celebrating their record-breaking and barrier-smashing season.