Pittsburg, KS – The Indian Hills Men's and Women's Track & Field squads opened up day one of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Indoor National Championships on Friday and qualified a number of individuals for Saturday's championship rounds.
WOMEN'S NOTES
60-Meter Dash: Kayla McCray dashed to a school record in the prelim rounds of the 60-meter dash to earn a spot in Saturday's finals. McCray's time of 7.56 was the fifth-best mark in the event, just .08 off the top mark. Jia Lewis and Janyla Hoskins put together solid showings as well at 7.80 and 7.81, respectively. Finals are set for 1:25 PM.
400-Meter Dash: Kahliyah Anderson will compete in Saturday's finals after a seventh-place finish with a time of 56.83. Anderson will run in the championship event at 2:35 PM tomorrow.
800-Meter Run: The nation's top performer in the 800-meter run did not disappoint on Friday as Aliyah Simmons cruised to a qualifying time of 2:15.70, the top time of the day to earn a place in Saturday's championship round. Simmons placed nearly a full second ahead of the next best mark. Anderson will seek a national title at 2:55 PM Saturday.
Saturday's action will also feature the finals of the women's relay events as well as the jumps events as Haleigh Hadley and Siby Yao look to earn a spot on the championship podium.
MEN'S NOTES
Distance Medley Relay: The opening event of the day for the Warriors, Indian Hills placed sixth overall to earn All-American honors, shattering the school record with a time of 10:07.58. The Warrior quartet featured Nick O'Connor, Dorian Craven, Jerry Harper, and Brady Millikin.
60-Meter Dash: Perhaps the top performer of the day for the Warriors, sophomore Aurel Tchanbi, the ICCAC Athlete of the Year, posted a 6.70 in the 60-meter dash to place fifth overall and earn a spot in the finals on Saturday. Isiah Thomas had a strong showing in the event, narrowly missing the finals with a time of 6.77. The 60-meter finals is set for 1:35 PM tomorrow.
200-Meter Dash: Aurel Tchanbi's chase for a national title continued in the 200-meter dash, finishing with a blistering time of 20.98, the second-fastest mark of the day. The time is only second to Warrior alum and Olympic Silver Medalist Kenny Bednarek. Kendrick Winfield placed fifth overall with a time of 21.35 to qualify for nationals. The 200-meter dash finals will run at 3:25 PM.
800-Meter Run: Freshman Rivaldo Marshall placed first overall in his heat with a time of 1:54.87, the fourth-best mark overall, to earn a spot in Saturday's finals. Marshall will compete for a title at 3:05 PM tomorrow.
1000-Meter Run: Rivaldo Marshall qualified for his second finals with a seventh-place showing in the 1,000-meter run. Marshall crossed the finish line in a time of 2:28.85 while teammate Nick O'Connor finished 11th overall at 2:29.70. The 1,000-meter finals will be held at 3:45 PM tomorrow.
Nick O'Connor will compete in the finals of the men's mile tomorrow while JC Ramirez will compete in the triple jump finals for the Warriors. Finals of the men's relay events are set to cap the championships beginning at 4:10 PM.
Aurel Tchanbi put on a show at the @NJCAAXCTF championships today��
— GoHillsTV (@GoHillsTv) March 5, 2022
Catch Aurel tomorrow as he looks to win a pair of national titles for @IHCCrunning! pic.twitter.com/qPVOQdNalz
