On Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, the Southwestern Spartans traveled to the 2018 Dennis Young Indoor Classic hosted by Buena Vista University (BVU) in Storm Lake. The Spartans continued their impressive start to the season with a number of improved performances and new school records. The Spartans competed well against strong programs such as Morningside College, Dordt College, and Northwestern College. The men scored a total of 53 points, placing sixth in a tie with BVU, outperforming Waldorf University, the University of Sioux Falls, and Dakota Wesleyan University. The women also made improvements and competed well, scoring 21 team points, and beating Waldorf.

"Our season is progressing very well," said Spartan Head Coach Jordan Strofaci. "We wanted to see how we would stand against larger schools and tougher competition, and I thought the team fought well."

Next week the Spartans travel to Grinnell College to compete in the 2018 Grinnell Indoor Invitational.

Notable Performances - Men

Ronald Henderson, sophomore

• Finished first in the high jump with a mark of 2.07 (6 feet 9 1/2 inches)
• Finished second in the long jump with a mark of 6.35 (20 feet 10 inches)

Jeremy Newton, sophomore

• Finished third in the long jump with a season-best mark of 6.27 meters (20 feet 7 inches)

Dylan Lucas, sophomore

• Finished fifth in the high jump with a mark of 1.82 meters (5 feet 11 1/2 inches)

Jalen Two Leggins, sophomore

• Finished third in the 1000 meter run with a time of 2:39.65, a new school record

4x800 meter relay

• The relay of Two Leggins, Phoenix Shadden, Phillip Selmer, and Kevin Dietrich finished first in the event with a time of 8:49.63

Notable Performances - Women

Christina Stopak, freshman

• Finished ninth in the 1000 meters with a time of 3:29, a new school record

Kirsten Schirm, freshman

• Finished third in the high jump with a mark of 1.47 (4 feet 9 3/4 inches)

Heather Jessen, freshman

• Finished seventh in the 600 meters with a time of 2:03.94

4x200 meter relay

• The team of Halie Dean, BreAnn Rhodes, Schirm, and Jessica Beatty finished fourth in the event with a time of 2:12.41, a new school record

4x800 meter relay

• The team of Beatty, Jessen, Stopak, and Kimberly Zepeda finished third in the event with a time of 11:28.10, a new school record