Poppe Claims Second National Championship; Stephens Becomes First-Ever National Champion from Catawba

ROCK HILL, S.C. (theSAC.com) -- Wingate's Luca Poppe added his second national championship of the weekend, this time in the 3,000m, while Catawba's Miles Stephens earned the Catawba Indians' first-ever individual national championship by blazing the field in the 200m on the final day of the NCAA Indoor Championships. Wingate finished third in the men's team standings, the highest finish at the indoor national championships in program history.

Poppe won the 3,000m in dramatic fashion, narrowly edging Lewis' Evan Horgan at the finish line. Poppe's time of 7:57.14 was just ahead of Horgan's 7:57.17 to claim his second crown of the weekend. On Friday, he captured the 5,000m title. Wingate wasn't finished in the event, as the Bulldogs' distance runners put on a show. Just behind Poppe and Horgan was Wingate's Joaquin Campos in third place, followed by teammates Lars Laros (fifth) and Antonin Saint Peyre (sixth), giving the Bulldogs four of the top six finishers.

Stephens earned gold in the 200m, crossing the finish line in 20.76, just .05 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher to secure the historic title for Catawba. Lenoir-Rhyne's Havyn Spain finished third in the event, just ahead of Carson-Newman's Amine Kasmi in fourth.

Wingate also earned a fourth-place finish in the men's mile courtesy of David Holman, who posted a time of 4:12.08. Klaus Scholz added eight more points for the Bulldogs by earning silver in the 800m, crossing the line in 1:47.43.

Mars Hill's Jesse Shelton added to an impressive career with a fourth-place finish in the men's shot put to earn All-America honors. Shelton's throw of 18.34m earned five points for the Lions.

Newberry's Dwayne Weiters finished 14th in the men's triple jump with a leap of 14.70m.

The Bulldogs earned 50 total points, finishing one spot behind second-place Grand Valley State. Pittsburg State claimed the team title with 75.5 points.

On the women's side, Lenoir-Rhyne's Mackenzie Pringle earned a sixth-place finish and All-America honors in the women's triple jump. Tusculum standout sprinter Jahzara Hart placed fifth in the 60m dash with a time of 7.38. Wingate's Evie Brooks took fourth in the women's mile with an impressive time of 4:46.79, while teammate Ally Holmberg finished 12th in the pentathlon with 3,624 points.