MARION, Ind. — Record-breaking performances by Anthony Weaver and Showalter Johnson earned them All-America honors as the William Penn men’s track and field team competed at the 72nd Annual NAIA National Championship from Wednesday through Friday.
William Penn tied for 49th place with three points, while Cumberlands (Ky.) narrowly defeated Marian (Ind.) by two points, 64-62, to claim the national title.
Weaver and Johnson became the 33rd and 34th All-Americans in William Penn’s history, marking the first time since 2021 that multiple Statesmen have reached the podium.
Weaver, a freshman from Demopolis, Ala., and a Mechanical Engineering major, was the first to achieve All-America status, finishing sixth in the triple jump on Friday with a school-record mark of 50-0. He joins Javaras Thomas (2010 indoor and outdoor) as the only William Penn athletes to earn All-America honors in the triple jump, surpassing Thomas’ previous record of 49-10 set in 2010.
Johnson, a junior from Nassau, Bahamas, and a New Media major, followed suit by breaking the school record in the 100-meter dash. After qualifying eighth in Thursday’s preliminaries with a time of 10.36 seconds, Johnson improved his performance on Friday, clocking in at 10.26 seconds to secure seventh place overall. This makes him the third William Penn athlete to earn All-America honors in the 100-meter dash, joining Pat Pilgrim (1985) and Torain Howard (2002).
In other events, Nick Marshall, a junior from Glenpool, Okla., and a Human Services major, placed 21st in the hammer throw on Wednesday with a distance of 179-3. Tahj Ferguson, a senior from Hartford, Conn., and a Psychology major, also finished 21st in the long jump on Thursday with a leap of 21-11.75.
Additionally, the 4×800-meter relay team comprising D’Artagnon Beaver, Brandon Williams, Jonah Heckenberg, and Andrew Miller finished 22nd on Wednesday with a time of 7:51.36. Williams, a junior from Fountain, Colo., and a Civil Engineering major, also competed in the 800-meter run on Thursday, placing 24th with a time of 1:54.29. Beaver, a junior from Rockford, Ill., and a Human Services major, finished 30th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Wednesday with a time of 9:47.96.
“Our men put on a show this weekend,” said Head Coach Victoria Vinokur. “Some events didn’t go as planned, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Seeing Showalter Johnson and Anthony Weaver walk away with hardware and school records was incredible. Showalter has been building up to this moment all year, and witnessing his progression was thrilling. Anthony had an outstanding freshman year. He was so close during the indoor season, so he was extra motivated for the outdoor competition, and it showed. It was an exciting weekend and year to be a part of.”