Beloit College's Candis Damtse shines in MWC Championships

Beloit College sprinter Candis Damtse capped off a terrific outdoor season by being named the 2024 Midwest Conference Most Outstanding Performer for Track at the league championships at Jacksonville, Ill., Saturday.

Damtse swept the award for both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Damtse won both the 200- and 400-meter dashes. She crossed the finish line in 25.06 seconds in the 200 and 56.65 in the 400. Her 400 time was just .05 seconds off the Beloit record.

Damtse also anchored the winning 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Darcel Royster, Alayna Furch and Hannah Welte joined Damtse on the 4x100 (50.07 seconds). Sophia Miller, Furch, Jaeonie Echols and Damtse won the 4x400 by almost a second.

Welte won the 400 hurdles (1:05.45) and added a fifth in the 100 hurdles (16.92).

Furch joined Damtse in the 200 and 400, taking eighth in the 200 (27.06) and sixth in the 400 (1:03.74).

In the field events, Naomee Casey took fourth place in the pole vault (3.20 meters). Hadja Bayo was seventh in discus (34.01 meters) and Kit Kronberger took eighth in the hammer (40.49 meters).

The Bucs women finished sixth while Beloit’s men were fifth.

For the men, Nate Otis and Caden Anderson took first places. Otis won the 400 hurdles (55.15 seconds) and was fourth in the 110 hurdles. Anderson won the javelin with a 48.30-meter throw.

Josh Yearby was second in the 200 (21.93) and fourth in the 100. Alexandre Atou was third in the 400 (49.98).

Beloit’s 4x400 relay of Izzy Zewdie, Atou, Daniel DeGeorge and Otis was second in 3:23.63. The 4x100 team of Ayouba Sumoao, DeGeorge, Otis and Yearby finished fourth.

Kevon Mills was second in the high jump (1.95 meters) and sixth in the long jump (6.61). Beloit native Joshua Martinez Marte finished second in the shot put (14.60) and fifth in the discus.