Romain Legendre Runs D2 Meet Records In 3,000/5,000 Double; Olympian Brynn King Wins Pole Vault

By David Woods for DyeStat

INDIANAPOLIS – If track and field devotees dismiss the NCAA Division 2 Indoor Championships, they are making a mistake now – and certainly erring in the future.

Who knows how many rising stars will choose Division 2 as NIL fallout prompts Division 1 colleges to drop or diminish track programs?

Hey, what about this year? Glad you asked.

Pittsburg State swept men’s and women’s team titles Saturday at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. There were multiple Fall Creek Pavilion records, a meaningful stat since the Big Ten meet was here two weeks ago.

This was an international meet, and here are the receipts:

>> Adams State’s Romain Legendre ranks 10th in the world this year in the 5,000 meters. The 25-year-old from France ran to D2 meet records at 5,000 and 3,000 meters.

>> Grand Valley State’s Eli Kosiba won the high jump at 7-3.75 (2.23m). He set a D2 record of 7-6.50 (2.30m) on Dec. 6, ranks No. 1 among all collegians and is No. 4 among entries for next week’s World Indoor Championships. Kosiba leaves Sunday for Nanjing, China.

>> Tiffin’s Joshua Page set a facility record of 45.88 in the 400 meters, and would be 10th among Nanjing entries.

>> U.S. Olympian Brynn King of Roberts Wesleyan broke her own D2 record in the pole vault, clearing 15-3.50 (4.66m). She would be No. 8 at Nanjing.

>> Nigerian sprinter Joy Udo-Gabriel set a D2 record of 7.11 in the women’s 60 meters, a time that would be 10th among Nanjing entries.

>> Esther Conde-Turpin of Azusa Pacific set a meet record of 4,447 points in the pentathlon. Conde-Turpin, 28, also of France, would be No. 7 on that Nanjing list.

Legendre began his distance double with a meet and facility record of 13:33.58 in the 5,000 Thursday. He had set a D2 record of 13.02.08 on Feb. 1.

 On Saturday, Legendre ran the closing 400 meters in 56.81 to win the 3,000 in 7:46.38, another meet and facility record.

He said he made contact with Adams State through an agency and “fell in love” with the approach of Damon Martin, a 38-time national coach of the year.

“Fell in love with his philosophy of running and training,” Legendre said. “I love the program there. I love the team. I love the coaching staff.

“It’s a great chance for me to be there.”

In 2024, his first year at Adams State,  he was second in the D2 5,000 indoors and first outdoors. He ran a 5,000 in 13:16.53 in April 2024.

Pittsburg State men’s streak at 6

Starting outdoors in 2023, Pittsburg State has now won the past six D2 national titles under coach Kyle Rutledge.

The Gorillas scored 76 points for a third straight indoors, compared with 61.5 for runner-up Grand Valley State. Colorado Mines was third with 36 and Adams State fourth with 32 (20 by Legendre).

Pittsburg capped its victory by setting a D2 record of 3:07.18 in the 4x400 relay.

Hurdler Cordell Tinch helped start the streak, and Daylin Williams is carrying on the tradition. Williams was seventh in a 110-meter hurdles race won by Tinch in a wind-aided 12.87 in May 2023 . . . and Williams has won the subsequent three D2 hurdles titles.

His time was 7.70, compared to a PB of 7.65. The two hurdlers train together.

“I watch him every time he goes to his pro meets. He watches me every time I go to my meets,” Williams said. “Just good vibes all around.”

Pittsburgh State had another champion in Hunter Jones, who scored 5,730 points to win the heptathlon with the No. 6 performance in D2 history.

Pittsburg State set a D2 record of 9:32.58 Thursday in the distance medley relay, anchored by Mason Strader’s 3:59.69 for 1,600.

In fourth was Colorado State-Pueblo, anchored by Reece Sharman-Newell’s 3:54.60 – fastest ever for eight laps at this facility. Sharman-Newell. 22, is an English runner who has an 800 best of 1:45.12.

France achieved a mile/3k/5K sweep.

Wingate’s Titouan Le Grix, a 22-year-old Frenchman who has won the D2 steeplechase, outkicked Sharman-Newell to win the mile in 3:59.15, a meet and facility record. Sharman-Newell was second in 3:59.56 and Strader fourth in 4:01.77.

Grand Valley State amassed 26.5 points off a 1-2-3-6 finish in the high jump.

Kosiba was first and Jaivon Harrison second, both at 7-3.75 (2.23m). Jonathan Rankin-James jumped 7-2.50 (2.20m) for third and Marcus Gelpi 7-0.5 (2.14m) to tie for sixth.

Kosiba, of  Rensselaer, Ind., has improved a full foot since high school. Because he has no outdoor eligibility, he closed his college career in his home state.

Now, onto worlds.

“I just wanted to put on a show for everyone,” Kosiba said.

Page, of Tiffin, said his goal is September’s World Championships at Tokyo. After his 45.88 in the 400, he was fourth in the 200 in a creditable 20.85.

Johnson C. Smith freshman Tyson Williams, a North Carolina prep champion from Charlotte, won the 200 in 20.58 – No. 4 in D2 history. Dapriest Hogans of Pittsburg State was second in 20.64.

Alexis Brown Breaks D2 Record With 3rd 200 Title

On the women’s side, Pittsburg State won its first D2 championship with 63 points.

The team had to await the outcome of the 4x400 relay, in which Minnesota State could have tied for first by winning. Minnesota State finished fourth and was thus second with 58 points.

Grand Valley State was third with 47 and defending champion Adams State fourth with 40.

Lenoir-Rhyne junior Alexis Brown won the 200 for a third time, lowering her D2 record to 22.88. She clocked 22.98 in Friday’s heats. Brown, a 100-meter semifinalist at the 2024 Olympic Trials, was second to Udo-Gabriel in the 60.

Minnesota State’s Adeyah Brewster was a double champion, taking the 60 hurdles in 8.11 and long jump with a distance of 20-9.25 (6.33m). Her teammate, Grace Johnson, was second in the hurdles.

Brewster, of Barbados, acknowledged it was an adjustment to go from the Caribbean climate to Mankato.

“My coaches told me to put on as much clothes as I have,” she said. “Fortunately, we have tunnels at school, so I don’t go outside. I don’t go outside when I don’t need to.”

In the pole vault, the 24-year-old King tied Sandi Morris for No. 7 on the all-time collegiate indoor list. This is the same venue where Washington’s Amanda Moll set a collegiate record of 16-1.25 (4.91m) on Feb. 28.

In the pentathlon, Conde-Turpin climbed to second in D2 history behind Saginaw Valley State’s Cheyenne Nesbitt, who won the U.S. title with 4,475 here last year.

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.