Competing in Saturday’s Westmont Sunshine Indoor Open, sixteen Westmont athletes earned qualification marks for the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships. Among those who qualified is freshman Taryn Phipps who posted an automatic qualification time of 56.52 seconds in the 400 meter dash. Phipps surpassed that “A” (automatic) standard by almost two seconds.
Junior Elysia Hodges rewrote her own school record in the 600 meter run, posting a time of 1:32.34. The mark was 1.15 seconds faster than the time she ran 11 months ago to set the record and more than five seconds faster than the automatic qualifying standard.
In the men’s events, Nate Evans recorded a provisional qualification time of 2:31.78 in the men’s 1000 meter. Shane Rowan matched the automatic qualification time in the triple jump exactly with a mark of 14.30 meters (46-11).
Among relay teams, the women’s 4 x 400 meter relay team of Kylie Moore, Kaylin Koopmans, Phipps and Hodges bested the automatic qualification mark by more than six seconds, recording a time of 3:58.74. In addition, the women’s distance medley relay team of Terri Baker, Moore, Ceci Adams and Jessica Meyers recorded a provision qualification mark of 12:34.87
The men’s 4 x 800 meter relay team of Evans, David Donner, Evan Bradford and John Nealon turned in an automatic qualification time of 7:50.03, more than four seconds ahead of the “A” standard. In the men’s distance medley relay, Evan Kramer, Tyler Moore, Nealon and Bradford notched a provision standard of 10:20.46 – just 0.26 off of the automatic qualification mark.
Also reaching qualification marks were five multi-event athletes. However, the multi-events work differently than single events in that there is no automatic qualification. In order to earn a place at the Indoor Championships, a competitor must not only meet the minimum point total, but also record a score in the top-16 in the nation.
Eclipsing the 2700 minimum for qualification in the women’s indoor pentathlon were Becky Collier with 3,433 points and Lorien Patmore with 2,725 points. Collier’s mark established a new school record and is the fourth best in the NAIA so far this season.
In the men’s heptathlon, Ben McCollum posted a mark of 4,395 points, Bradford Ortlund tallied 4,145 points and Kyle Kemper notched 3,940 points. All three marks exceeded the 3,750 point minimum. McCollum’s mark places him at number 14 in the NAIA so far this season.
The NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships begin on March 6 in Geneva, Ohio.
