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Macon-Ford and Bushue Repeat as AMC Champions; UHSP Women Finish 4th, Men are 6th at Outdoor Championships
Posted: May 01, 2025

Macon-Ford and Bushue Repeat as AMC Champions; UHSP Women Finish 4th, Men are 6th at Outdoor Championships

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EDWARDSVILLE, ILL. – Freshmen Leah Macon-Ford and Brett Bushue defended their indoor Conference champion titles on Wednesday and Thursday at the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. The two led the Eutectic women's and men's track and field teams to fourth and sixth places, respectively, with Macon-Ford winning the women's 100m and 200m dashes (with a new school record in the 200) and Bushue winning the men's pole vault and placing second in the high jump. The Eutectics finished the two-day meet with 12 All-Conference performances.

WEDNESDAY HIGHLIGHTS:

  • The Eutectics swept the men's pole vault All-Conference honors on Wednesday, scoring 24 points in the event. Freshman Brett Bushue led the charge, defending his indoor champion title by floating over 3.80m (12'5.5") on his first attempt of the day to win the event. Senior Brock Beins cleared 3.50m (11'5.75") for second place, and freshman Ethan Arnoldi was third at 3.35m (10'11.75").   
  • Sophomore Elizabeth Fritzler earned second-team All-Conference honors in the Shot Put with a toss of 11.98m (39'3.75"), scoring eight points for the Eutectics. Sophomore Hannah Burch also scored a point for UHSP in the shot put with a toss of 10.20m (33'5.75") for eighth place of 22 throwers entered in the event.
  • The women's 4x800m Relay team of Ellie Creasey, Laila Wells, Layla Aguilar, and Charlie Dunajcik scored four points for the Eutectics, finishing fifth.
  • Freshmen Jack Wolfe and Kristofer St. Clair combined for four points for the men's team. Wolfe finished sixth in the 3K Steeplechase at 11:29.09 for three points. St. Clair took eighth in the shot put at 11.61m (38'1.25") for one point.  
  • Freshman phenom Leah Macon-Ford qualified for the 100m and 200m dash finals to take place on Saturday with top performances in the semi-finals on Wednesday. Macon-Jones won the 100m dash semis with a time of 12.23 seconds, then placed second in the 200m dash with a new UHSP record time of 25.26.
  • Four Eutectic hurdlers qualified for the finals with top-eight finishes in the semis on Wednesday: Taylor Washington (2nd), Mariah Scott (4th), Adison Plazek (5th), and Paulina Gutierrez-Trejo (7th).

THURSDAY HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Leah Macon-Ford returned to the track for the finals of the 100m and 200m dashes on Thursday to win both. She claimed the 100m dash title with a time of 12.16, beating out runner-up Alicia Robinson from Harris-Stowe State University by a half second. In the 200m dash, coming in the with the second-fastest semi-final qualifying time behind Robinson by .10 seconds, Macon-Ford blazed to a new improved school record in the finals, beating out Robinson by .37 seconds in the final for the title with a time of 25. 04.
  • The Eutectic women scored 20 points in the 100m hurdles, led by Washington's second-place finish at 15.71 seconds. Scott finished fourth at 17.08, followed closely by Plazek (17.20) in fifth and Gutierrez-Trejo (17.72) in sixth.
  • Washington also earned second-team All-Conference honors in the high jump, clearing 1.50m (4'11") on her final attempt. Junior Arianna Buduan was third-team All-Conference in the event, finishing just behind Washington at 1.45m (4'9"). The two combined for 14 points in the event.
  • After his conference champion performance in the pole vault on Wednesday, Brett Bushue returned on Thursday to finish second in the men's high jump competition, clearing 1.84m (6'0.5") on his first attempt.
  • Fritzler put in another second-team All-Conference performance on Thursday in the Discus Throw, recording a toss of 35.69m (117'01").
  • The members of the women's 4 x 100m relay team of Mariah Scott, Leah Macon-Ford, Arianna Buduan, and Taylor Washington ran their second-fastest time of the season at 50.63 for a second-place finish scoring eight points.
  • Plazek improved her own school record in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:12.78 for fourth place.
  • Burke raced to a fourth-place finish in the 400m dash and a new personal-best time of 1:03.88.
  • St. Clair scored another four points for the UHSP men's team, improving his own UHSP record in the Discus Throw with a toss of 40.04 (131'.5") for fifth place.  
  • The women's 4 x 400m relay team of Payton Burke, Laila Wells, Whitney Auguste, and Plazek squeezed out another four points to end the meet with a fifth-place finish at 4:25.59.  

AMC ALL-CONFERENCE:

FIRST TEAM
 Brett Bushue, Pole Vault
Leah Macon-Ford, 100m
Leah Macon-Ford, 200m

SECOND TEAM
 Brock Beins, Pole Vault
Brett Bushue, High Jump
Elizabeth Fritzler, Shot Put
Elizabeth Fritzler, Discus Throw
Taylor Washington, 100m Hurdles
Taylor Washington, High Jump
4x100m Relay Team -  Mariah Scott, Leah Macon-Ford, Arianna Buduan, Taylor Washington

THIRD TEAM
 Ethan Arnoldi, Pole Vault
Arianna Buduan, High Jump

 

UP NEXT:

The Conference Championships marks the end of the season for many Eutectic track and field athletes. Macon-Ford, who qualified for the NAIA National Outdoor Championships in the 100m dash on March 28th, will continue to train and prepare for the national meet, scheduled for May 21-23 in Marion, Ind.