FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Senior Chase Schermer made program history Friday night (May 8) at the University of Arkansas Twilight, becoming the first John Brown University men's track and field athlete to earn an NAIA A standard while setting a program record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at John McDonnell Field.
Schermer had come close to the NAIA B Standard of 9:23 multiple times this season, each near-miss building toward Thursday's breakthrough. When it mattered most in the final meet of the regular season, Schermer won the steeplechase in 9:14.75, breezing past the automatic-qualifying A standard while claiming the top spot in the program record book.
"Chase continued the trend of performing when it mattered most," head coach Peter Cunningham said. "After several close attempts at the national provisional standard in the steeplechase, set at 9:23, he responded with a personal-best time, and a program record."
Senior Matthew Cook capped his collegiate career with a program record of his own, running 1:52.16 in the 800 meters to take over the top spot in the outdoor record book. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. Cook shattered his previous best by more than a second and came within striking distance of the NAIA B Standard. He had run 1:53 coming out of high school and broken that mark only once before Thursday's race.
"The highlight of the day was Matthew's performance in the 800 meters," Cunningham said. "Coming out of high school, he was a 1:53 runner and had broken his high school personal best only once before today. It has been a difficult journey for Matthew, which made this race especially meaningful. With family in town from Costa Rica and graduation scheduled for the next day, the timing of a race like this could not have been better. He also came close to the national B standard, making the performance even more memorable. Matthew is always quick to give glory to God, and that's what we love most about him."
Freshman Katalina Chan won silver in the 400-meter hurdles, breaking her own program record for the fourth time this season with a time of 1:01.65. Chan earned another NAIA B Standard while continuing to chase faster times heading into the national championships.
The Golden Eagles posted three more program top-10 performances at the high-level collegiate meet. Freshman Edith Bell broke through the 2:20 barrier in the 800 meters, running 2:19.25 for the fifth-fastest time in program history. Bell dropped nine seconds from her previous best after embracing a distance-focused training plan in her freshman season, transforming an event that was considered a long race for her in high school into a signature event.
"One of the day's most exciting performances came from Edith, who ran under 2:20 in the 800 meters," Cunningham said. "In high school, the 800 was considered a long race for Bell, but during her freshman season, we challenged her with a distance-focused training plan. As a result, seeing her drop nine seconds in her first year with us has been incredibly rewarding. She's such an intelligent athlete, and it's always impressive to hear her break down the details of her races afterward."
Freshman Abigail Stucker ran 4:41.62 in the 1,500 meters for the third-fastest time in program history. Junior Emma Morton competed in the 800 meters alongside Bell and Stucker. Freshman Abby Steele ran in the 400 meters, and freshman Nadia Clark placed 10th in the shot put.
With the NAIA set to announce the official participants at the National Championships on May 13, the Golden Eagles already will feature Chase Schermer (steeplechase), Sam Burkett (steeplechase), Payton Brack (steeplechase) and Katalina Chan (100 meters, 400 meters, 400 meter hurdles) in Asheville, N.C. from May 20-22 at the Karl Strauss Track on the campus of University of North Carolina at Asheville.
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