Sprinters Lead OPSU Men to Eighth Place at USM, Samaron Breaks 5k Record
March 22, 2026
OPSU Men's Results
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. The Oklahoma Panhandle State men's track & field squad was led by its sprinters, highlighted by its 4x100-meter relay team getting a win, as the Aggies finished in eighth place among 15 teams at the Spire Distance Carnival and Team Challenge over the weekend.
Though the OPSU sprinters accounted for all of the men's 26 team points, the distance runners and javelin throwers opened the impressive weekend on Friday night.
Joshua Samaron became the first Aggie in program history to finish the 5,000-meters in under 16:00, as the senior crossed in 15:57.73 for the school record. That mark, according to head coach Cyrus Hall, came in roughly 20-30 seconds faster than the stated goal prior to the race.
"(Samaron) works hard. He earned that. I'm really proud of him," Hall said.
Bramhan Matschek also ran Friday in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, setting a PR at 11:37.96.
Xavyer Mosqueda, Jayden Blair and William Sirmans each recorded personal bests in the javelin, with Mosqueda's mark of 40.13 meters leading the pack to help him take 13th of 24.
"We're just getting started with javelin, they haven't had a lot of work yet this year, so hopefully we can make some really nice improvements over the next three or four weeks as we head into conference," Hall said.
On Saturday, the 4x100-meter relay group of Dillon Bruington, Jason Granillo, Austin White and Christian Soto hauled in 10 points with a victory, approaching an NAIA Nationals-qualifying time with their 41.30 seconds, or 0.67 seconds faster than runner-up Ottawa.
"I thought our 4x100 relays ran awesome. & They're pretty locked in, and their chemistry's pretty good, so I'm excited about those guys," Hall said.
The sprinters continued to help the Aggies' cause, as Bruington claimed fifth place with his 100-meters time of 10.73 seconds. White and Granillo raced to third- and eighth-place finishes in the 200-meters, clocking 21.74 and 22.23 seconds, respectively. Gino Sapalo flashed his potential in the 200-meters, crossing in 22.26 seconds to grab ninth of 53 in the event.
Alan Martinez had a solid showing in the 400-meters, collecting five points for the team with his time of 49.51 seconds.
Wyatt Hamilton performed well Saturday in the discus, achieving a team-best mark of 39.35 meters to grab 15th out of 35 competitors. Meanwhile, Mosqueda, Sirmans and Hamilton swept the 18th-through-20th spots out of 29 in the hammer throw, each hovering around 35.00 meters.
Coach Hall's Thoughts: "I like where our team's at, we're starting to get hot at the right time. We're not quite where we want be yet, but I think we're really close. The corner's sort of been turned, and the lid's been popped off a little bit, and now we're starting to see some good things, confidence is going up."
What's up next: OPSU is off for a week before traveling to South Plains College for the SPC Alumni Elite Invitational on Friday, April 3.
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. The Oklahoma Panhandle State men's track & field squad was led by its sprinters, highlighted by its 4x100-meter relay team getting a win, as the Aggies finished in eighth place among 15 teams at the Spire Distance Carnival and Team Challenge over the weekend.
Though the OPSU sprinters accounted for all of the men's 26 team points, the distance runners and javelin throwers opened the impressive weekend on Friday night.
Joshua Samaron became the first Aggie in program history to finish the 5,000-meters in under 16:00, as the senior crossed in 15:57.73 for the school record. That mark, according to head coach Cyrus Hall, came in roughly 20-30 seconds faster than the stated goal prior to the race.
"(Samaron) works hard. He earned that. I'm really proud of him," Hall said.
Bramhan Matschek also ran Friday in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, setting a PR at 11:37.96.
Xavyer Mosqueda, Jayden Blair and William Sirmans each recorded personal bests in the javelin, with Mosqueda's mark of 40.13 meters leading the pack to help him take 13th of 24.
"We're just getting started with javelin, they haven't had a lot of work yet this year, so hopefully we can make some really nice improvements over the next three or four weeks as we head into conference," Hall said.
On Saturday, the 4x100-meter relay group of Dillon Bruington, Jason Granillo, Austin White and Christian Soto hauled in 10 points with a victory, approaching an NAIA Nationals-qualifying time with their 41.30 seconds, or 0.67 seconds faster than runner-up Ottawa.
"I thought our 4x100 relays ran awesome. & They're pretty locked in, and their chemistry's pretty good, so I'm excited about those guys," Hall said.
The sprinters continued to help the Aggies' cause, as Bruington claimed fifth place with his 100-meters time of 10.73 seconds. White and Granillo raced to third- and eighth-place finishes in the 200-meters, clocking 21.74 and 22.23 seconds, respectively. Gino Sapalo flashed his potential in the 200-meters, crossing in 22.26 seconds to grab ninth of 53 in the event.
Alan Martinez had a solid showing in the 400-meters, collecting five points for the team with his time of 49.51 seconds.
Wyatt Hamilton performed well Saturday in the discus, achieving a team-best mark of 39.35 meters to grab 15th out of 35 competitors. Meanwhile, Mosqueda, Sirmans and Hamilton swept the 18th-through-20th spots out of 29 in the hammer throw, each hovering around 35.00 meters.
Coach Hall's Thoughts: "I like where our team's at, we're starting to get hot at the right time. We're not quite where we want be yet, but I think we're really close. The corner's sort of been turned, and the lid's been popped off a little bit, and now we're starting to see some good things, confidence is going up."
What's up next: OPSU is off for a week before traveling to South Plains College for the SPC Alumni Elite Invitational on Friday, April 3.
