CHESTER, Pa. – The Houghton University outdoor track and field teams opened the 2026 outdoor season with a strong showing at the Danny Curran Invitational, highlighted by nine performances that landed in the program's all-time top-10 lists.

Leading the way was Amos Bixler, who turned in a historic performance in the men's 5,000 meters with a time of 14:57.81. His mark not only ranks No. 1 all-time at Houghton, but also makes him the first athlete in program history to break the 15-minute barrier in the event.

The Highlanders' distance crew set the tone throughout the meet. Noelle Linenfelser posted the No. 2 all-time mark in the women's 10,000 meters at 37:45.12, while Emberlynn Nolt moved to No. 4 in the 5K with a time of 18:06.50. On the men's side, Ben Allen (No. 6, 32:29.09) and Salim Ford (No. 8, 32:47.83) each added top-10 marks in the 10K.

In the hurdles, Mike Solomon recorded the third-fastest time in program history in the 110-meter hurdles, crossing in 15.18, while Amelia Jones moved into ninth all-time in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 68.97.

The Highlanders also saw strong performances in the jumps and sprints. Ryan Sperl posted the No. 6 mark in program history in the triple jump with a leap of 12.72 meters, and Luke Waterhouse tied for 10th all-time in the 100 meters with a time of 11.43.

Quote from the meet:
"This was a really strong way to open up our outdoor season. Our crew really loves competing at this venue and they showed out, especially the 10K crew. With the indoor season being so long, a lot of us have been excited to get to the outdoor season and it was satisfying to see so many great performances. Looking forward to next meet at home with a more complete crew to carry the momentum."

Houghton will look to carry this early momentum into its home meet on Friday, April 10.