The Master’s University men’s indoor track and field team earned two national titles in March during its first-ever trip to the NAIA championships in Brookings, South Dakota.
Sophomore Caleb Pouliot won the pole vault, becoming just the sixth individual in TMU history (in any sport) to win an NAIA national title. And the men’s distance medley relay team of Zach Garey, Sam Jean, Anthony Ghiorso, and Davis Boggess set a new school record (9 minutes, 59.47 seconds) to earn a national championship of their own.
Pouliot cleared 5.10 meters in the finals to match his season high. “I have such great support from so many people,” Pouliot said. “I couldn’t have done anything without the Lord and His favor.”
Boggess (mile) and Hunter Romine (5,000 meters) were All-Americans, as were Hannah Fredericks (1,000) and Ellen Palmgren (600) on the women’s side. The Mustangs also earned All-American honors in the women’s distance medley relay (Fredericks, Palmgren, Micaiah Scott, Rebekah Niednagel) and the 4×800 relay (Palmgren, Fredericks, Suzie Johnson, Emma Nelson).
Soares poses for a photo with the first Mustang drafted into the WNBA, Erin Perperoglou (Buescher), who went 23rd overall in 2001. The two standouts hung out last year when Perperoglou was inducted into TMU’s Hall of Honor.
TMU graduate Stephanie Soares (’22) was selected fourth overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft. Soares was a two-time NAIA Player of the Year at The Master’s before playing her final season at Iowa State. The Washington Mystics picked her on April 10 before trading her to the Dallas Wings. Soares is expected to miss the 2023 season, according to ESPN, due to an injury.
Monte Brooks entered the year as the 13th winningest baseball coach on the NAIA’s active list.
Earlier this spring, Monte Brooks earned his 800th victory as head coach of TMU Baseball. Brooks, who entered the year as the 13th winningest coach on the NAIA’s active list, is in his 27th season at the University. “Monte is exactly the coach we want to have here at TMU,” said Athletic Director Chris Beck. “His love for the Lord comes out in all he does.”
TMU freshman Kylee Sears earned four All-American honors at the NAIA Women’s Swimming & Diving National Championship in Columbus, Georgia, in March.
TMU’s women’s swim and dive team finished in ninth place overall, while the men’s team tied for 11th at the NAIA national championships in Columbus, Georgia, in March. Both finishes were the best in program history. Freshman Kylee Sears was a three-time All-American in individual events (500-yard freestyle, 200 free, 1,650 free), finishing as national runner-up in the 500. Sears was also part of a 400 medley relay that earned All-American honors, along with Jasmine Biederman, Emma McMurray, and Trudy Patterson. Patterson was also an All-American in the 200 backstroke. On the men’s side, TMU’s 800 free and 400 medley relay teams — both consisting of Andrew Crabtree, Nilton Dos Santos de Oliveira, JT Sears, and Freddie Cole — earned All-American honors.
TMU’s Nolan Flexen, a 6-foot-10-inch outside hitter, led the NAIA in kills per set (5.14) and hitting percentage (.447) as of April 12.
Freshman Nolan Flexen was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association NAIA Player of the Year in April after helping TMU earn its first No. 1 national ranking. The Mustangs’ season culminated in the NAIA tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, after this publication’s deadline. See gomustangs.com for updated results.
Dave Caldwell covers all 18 of TMU’s athletic teams as sports information director. For the latest stats, stories, and scores, visit gomustangs.com.
