LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- John Brown University track and field earned three NAIA provisional qualifying standards and produced 17 program top-10 performances Friday and Saturday (April 17-18) at the Little Rock (Ark.) Invitational inside the Coleman Sports Complex.
Freshman Katalina Chan delivered another breakthrough weekend, setting two program records while earning her first national qualifying mark. Chan won the 400 meters in 57.08 seconds to break the program record, then placed third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:02.11 to set another program record and hit the NAIA B Standard.
Sophomore Sam Burkett and freshman Payton Brack both earned provisional standards in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase despite cold, rainy conditions. Burkett won the event in 9:21.56, third-fastest in program history, while also breaking the facility record. Brack took second in 9:21.85, fourth-fastest all-time. Junior Chase Schermer finished third.
The women's 100-meter relay provided another historic moment. The team of freshman Abby Steele, Chan, junior Emma Morton and freshman Edith Bell shattered a 40-year-old program record in their first attempt together, running 50.26 to finish fourth. The previous mark of 52.96 had stood since 1986, and JBU hadn't fielded a women's sprint relay since 1986.
Steele added her own program top-10 mark, running 1:10.14 in the 400-meter hurdles for fifth all-time. She also placed sixth in the high jump, clearing 1.50 meters (4 feet, 11 inches).
Freshman Emerick Wilson finished eighth in the 100 meters, with sophomore Chase Stone placing ninth and sophomore Liam Van Der Horn also competing. Stone and sophomore Nathan Dutil also competed in the 200 meters.
Senior Matthew Cook placed fourth in the men's 800 meters with a time of 1:58.57, while junior Henry Zedler finished fifth at 1:59.14. Sophomore Zach Briscoe placed ninth, and sophomore Justin Akers also competed.
Junior Emma Morton placed seventh in the women's 800 meters, running 2:28.18. Sophomore Camryn Chaffin also competed.
Freshman Abigail Stucker and sophomore Anna Claire Orr delivered a memorable finish in the women's 5,000 meters. Stucker placed fourth in 19:44.72, with Orr crossing just nine-hundredths of a second later in 19:44.81 for fifth. Senior Hope Ahnfeldt placed ninth, while sophomore Paige Andrews and sophomores Tori Calder and freshman Brianna Vargas also competed. Stucker also placed fifth in the 1,500 meters, with Bell competing as well. Akers ran in the men's 1,500 meters.
Freshman Daniel Ogomo finished fourth in the men's 5,000 meters, clocking 16:40.57.
Senior Naia Shepherd placed fourth in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, running 14:21.01 for the seventh-fastest time in program history. She also competed in the 400-meter hurdles.
The men's 100-meter relay team of Stone, Wilson, Van Der Horn and Dutil placed third in 45.14, fourth-fastest in program history.
Sophomore Noah Osterloh continued his exceptional triple jump campaign with three more program top-10 marks in his fourth consecutive meet. Osterloh placed third with a leap of 13.75 meters (45 feet, 1.5 inches), third-best in program history. His jumps of 13.66 meters (44 feet, 9.75 inches) and 13.64 meters (44 feet, 9 inches) also rank fifth and sixth all-time. Osterloh placed 10th in the long jump, while Stone also competed.
Freshman Nadia Clark placed 10th in the hammer with a throw of 36.49 meters (119 feet, 8.5 inches), fourth-best in program history. Her second throw of 35.54 meters (116 feet, 7.25 inches) ranks seventh all-time. Clark also placed eighth in the discus, recording 33.54 meters (110 feet, 0.5 inches) for eighth all-time.
Senior Nikki Basye threw 31.85 meters (104 feet, 6 inches) in the javelin for sixth place, fifth-best in program history. Two more of her throws, 30.72 meters (100 feet, 9.25 inches) and 30.28 meters (99 feet, 4.25 inches), rank seventh and eighth all-time. Basye also placed eighth in the 100-meter hurdles.
"Really proud of Katalina getting the national qualifying B standard in the 400m hurdles," head coach Peter Cunningham said. "Her most recent race was actually a step back from her best, so to come back and trust her fitness and skill the way she did says a lot about her resilience. On the sprint side, our women's relay team went out and broke a 40-year-old record by over two seconds. That was especially impressive considering how little time they've had to work on the relay together. Just really encouraged by what we're seeing from that group and excited about what's ahead for our female sprinters.
"On the men's side, Sam and Payton both really showed their toughness," he said. "They went out and competed in cold, rainy conditions and didn't use that as an excuse to race below their abilities. Sam also broke the facility record, and it was a cool moment because the former record holder was there, came up to him afterward, and congratulated him. He's coaching at Little Rock now, so that made it even more meaningful. In that same event, Chase is sitting top 20 nationally right now, and we've got a lot of confidence he'll hit the standard in the coming weeks as well."
The Golden Eagles will now turn its attention to the Sooner Athletic Championships, scheduled for April 23-25 at the Lions Athletic Complex in Waxahachie, Texas. This will be the first time Nelson (Texas) hosts the championships.
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