Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Rio Grande's Tyler Jenkins (left) crosses the finish line in his 10,000-meter race, while Danuel Persinger (right) runs the first leg of the 4x800 relay race for the RedStorm in Wednesday's action at the NAIA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Marion, Ind.
Rio Grande's Tyler Jenkins (left) crosses the finish line in his 10,000-meter race, while Danuel Persinger (right) runs the first leg of the 4x800 relay race for the RedStorm in Wednesday's action at the NAIA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Marion, Ind.
Posted: May 22, 2024

Rio's Jenkins earns All-American honors, relay team sets new school record

Video Live stats Recap

Rio Grande Sports Information
     MARION, Ind. - Consider it safe to say that Rio Grande's Tyler Jenkins made the most of the final month of his sophomore season with the RedStorm.
     The Barnesville, Ohio native earned the third All-American honor of his career after placing seventh in the 10,000-meter run on Wednesday night at the 72nd NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University.
     Jenkins, who had qualified with the 12th-fastest time, posted a personal-best time of 30:37.45.
     "He was in 30th at one point, but remained patient and moved up to 20th with two miles to go, then went 4:43 for the last mile to secure a podium spot," said Rio Grande head coach Matt Paxton. "We took him to get one last race in two weeks ago and he ran a huge PR there. Had he not run in that race, he would have been seeded 29th going in. Kind of a big move in the last month if you ask me."
     Jenkins' mark was the fastest time in the event for a Rio runner since 1977.
     Rio Grande also got a solid showing on Wednesday from its 4x800 relay team, which finished 15th among the 25 participating teams with a new school-record time of 7:41.68.
     "We have taken over six seconds off it in the last month and three yesterday," Paxton said.
     The team was comprised of junior Danuel Persinger (Bidwell, OH), freshman Kasy Science (Marietta, OH), freshman Ashton Beverly (Chillicothe, OH) and senior Kyle Lightner (Peebles, OH).