Meet Recap: 2024 NAIA Outdoor T&F Championships

Champions were crowned on Friday at the 2024 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Marion, Indiana!

From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: National Championships Central

British Columbia captured a third straight women’s team title by over 50 points, while Cumberlands (Ky.) claimed its first-ever men’s crown by just two points.

Men’s Recap

Cumberlands (Ky.) completed a magical sweep of first-ever team titles, adding this outdoor victory to the indoor version in March. The Patriots – who tied for 19^th here last year – were led by two winners in Luca Santorum (1500 in 3:47.79) and Dillan Melchiore (5000 racewalk in 22:08.39).

Just two points back in the team standings was Marian (Ind.) from nearby Indianapolis. The Knights were strong in throws, with Christian Rios leading a 1-3 finish in the discus (54.05m/177-4) as well as a 2-3 in the hammer. Jacob Netral, runner-up in the shot put, earned those third-place points in the discus.

The meet’s only double winner was Evert Silva of Oklahoma City, and his sweep of the 5000 (14:31.06) and 10,000 (30:12.35) – along with being part of the winning 4×800 relay – led the unranked Stars to a fifth-place team finish.

Three repeat champions included David Friedberg of Reinhardt, whose javelin win at 71.88m (235-10) was his third straight victory in this meet. Also repeating were Tajean Houston of Texas Wesleyan in the 110 hurdles (13.77) and Shandon Reitzell of Midland (Neb.) in the high jump at 2.20m (7-2½). Reitzell’s title this year was a bit of a surprise as he entered the meet as not even his team’s top jumper and then setting three consecutive seasonal bests, culminating with his PR at 2.20.

Women’s Recap

It’s three straight for British Columbia, but it’s their fourth in a row in meets they competed in (the Thunderbirds won in 2019 before the 2020 championship was canceled and they missed the 2021 meet due to COVID-19 restrictions).

UBC’s 137 points were one shy of their 2022 total, but their 54-point margin of victory this year was easily their largest – and the meet’s biggest since 1987, when Prairie View (Texas) won by 58 points.

The Thunderbirds won eight events, with Kiana Gibson contributing two with victories in the steeplechase (10:31.23) and 5000 (17:15.54). Among those joining her on the top podium was Olivia Lundman, who won her third straight 5000 racewalk title with an NAIA all-time best of 22:47.37.

They were joined on the top podium by Rachel Mortimer (leading a UBC 1-2 in the 800 at 2:05.55), Holly MacGillivray (leading a UBC 1-3-4 in the 1500 at 4:20.19), Sonya Urbanowicz (a repeat pole vault title at 3.85m/12-7½), Rebecca Dutchak (heptathlon at 5252) and the 4×800 relay team, which won by over 11 seconds in 8:46.34 with MacGillivray and Mortimer on the final two legs.

Runner-up William Carey (Miss.) won five events, led by Machaeda Linton’s repeat sweep of the long jump (6.35m/20-10) and triple jump (13.22m/43-4). The Crusaders also won the 4×100 in an NAIA-record 43.87 that included individual champs Salieci Myles (a second-straight 100 hurdles in 13.16w) and Joy Abu (100 in 11.40w). It was Abu’s fourth career individual title in this meet, with her other victories coming in the 100 hurdles (2022) and 400 hurdles (2021 and 2022).

Jennifer Batu of Life (Ga.) repeated in the hammer in a big way, as her winning toss of 64.14m (210-5) doubled as an all-time NAIA best.

Praise Idamadudu of Cumberland (Tenn.) ran her career total of wins in this meet to five, claiming her third 400 (PR 52.15) and second 200 (23.05w), and Princess Kara was another double winner, claiming the discus (53.58m/175-9) for a second straight time after earlier adding the shot put title (15.10m/49-6½).