WHITEFISH, Mont. –
Jaden Foster headlined a plethora of Frontier Conference recognition that the University of Providence track and field team recieved on Tuesday.
Foster, a freshman sprinter for the Argos, was named a
co-MVP of the conference, alongside Carroll's Lee Walburn. Foster was the conference winner in the 100 meter and the 200 meter race, and finished second as part of a the 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay.
"It's very impressive for him," head coach
Tony Arntson said. "He's worked for it. With the pandemic and everything, he was off for about a year and a half. He trained for it and came in in good shape. It means a lot to him. This is a big feat for a freshman, especially in those events. I'm happy for him and very proud obviously."
A total of 12 Argo student-athletes were named to the All-Conference Team.
Sloane Chapman,
McKenzie Clark,
Allyson Conner and
Jillian Sanchez were selected on the women's side.
Dawson Fowler,
Nash Grafe,
Justin Krabbenhoft,
Joe McMillan, Connor Murgel,
Logan Robinson and
Sage Wanner joined Foster on the men's side. To qualify for All-Conference, an individual or team had to finish in the top three of their event.
"Coming out of the conference meet, the thing that stuck out to me was how well our kids competed," Arntson said. "We had so many young kids that hadn't competed since they were juniors in high school. To come out of that environment and do what they did was phenomenal. It sets up for a very bright future for us."
The success the team showed this season has Arntson believing the team is set up nicely for a more normal season in the fall.
"This year set the foundation for us going forward," he said. "We're going to have a lot of kids back from this team that are very young kids, and we're going to add a bunch of good, quality kids to that roster. I think we're going to very, very competitive and I think these kids are going to be the ones that take our program to the next level."
One of those kids,
McKenzie Clark, will represent the program at the national stage tomorrow. Clark is currently seventh in the nation, and will compete in the javelin at the NAIA National Championships at 2:00 p.m. MTN on Wednesday, May 26.
"We all can't wait," Arntson said. "I'm so excited for her. Anytime a freshman competes at Nationals it's awesome. It's a great situation for a great kid."
