Wichita State’s track and field team searched for something on the men’s side of the American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship it hadn’t found since joining the league in 2017: a team title.

The Shockers were one day away from hoisting the trophy after Friday’s events, but a Saturday push by South Florida allowed the Bulls to claim their third-straight indoor team championship.

They ended up beating Wichita State by two-and-a-half points after the events ended, 134.5-132. 

The Shockers finished in seventh on the women’s side with 56 points. North Texas won the women’s team title with 90 points. 

Junior Josh Parrish earned Most Valuable Performer honors on the men’s side after top 10 finishes in four events — the 60-meter hurdles, the 200-meter dash, long jump and triple jump. He also notched meet records in the 60-meter hurdles with times of 7.70 seconds in preliminaries and 7.71 seconds in the finals. 

Parrish scored 22.5 points for Wichita State.

Other event winners on the men’s side included sophomores Elkana Kipruto, Kaleb Tesmer and Rikard Trogen Hedin and freshman Cole Smither. The women’s distance medley team of seniors Lea Jerkovic and Sadie Millard, graduate student Audrey Parson and freshman Vivien Kipkorir also won with a time of 11:32.25.

Kipruto won the men’s 5,000-meter run in 13:50.72, and Smither set an event record in the men’s heptathlon high jump at 2.08 meters. Tesmer won the high jump with a mark of 2.08 meters and Trogen Hedin won both the men’s heptathlon pole vault (4.85 meters) and shot put (14.16 meters).

Select Wichita State track and field athletes will compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships March 13 and 14 at Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., before the outdoor season begins.