Hutchinson, KS – The Indian Hills Men's and Women's Track & Field squads opened up the 2022 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Outdoor National Championship Thursday night at Gowans Stadium. The Warriors earned three All-American honors and a school record on the day.
Siby Yao (Leesburg, VA/Riverside) opened up the outdoor national championships with an All-American performance in the women's long jump. Yao, who also earned All-American honors in the triple jump at the indoor national championship, placed seventh overall with a mark of 5.74. Yao will compete in the outdoor triple jump on Saturday.
The men's 4x800-meter relay consisting of Jerry Harper (Rantoul, IL/Rantoul), Roneldo Rock (St. Joseph, Barbados/Grantley Adams Memorial), Keegan Simms (_Miami, FL/Miami Southridge), and Nick O'Connor (Tiffin, IA/Clear Creek Amana) earned All-American honors with a time of 7:44.89. The quartet placed fifth overall. Harper, Rock, and O'Connor also earned All-American honors in the same event during the indoor season.
With a school record-breaking performance, the men's 4x100-meter relay team earned a spot in Saturday's final. Justin Walden (Miami, FL/North Miami), Damoy Allen (Utica, NY/Utica Proctor), Isiah Thomas (Milwaukee, WI/Destiny), and Aurel Tchanbi (Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire/College Heleis) ran a blistering 39.69, the second-fastest time of the prelim round and will head to Saturday with their sights set on a national title.
Chris Metz (Freeport, IL/Freeport ) closed out the opening day with an All-American performance under the lights in the men's 10,000-meter run. Metz, seeded 14th entering the meet, placed eighth overall with a time of 33:34.43 to earn All-American honors. Metz will also compete in the men's 5,000-meter run.
Janyla Hoskins (Dubuque, IA/Dubuque Hempstead), Kayla McCray (Miami, FL/North Miami), Kahliyah Anderson (Texarkana, TX/Texas), and Yao placed 10th in the women's 4x100-meter relay.
Damien Lewis (Brenham, TX/Brenham) posted a time of 55.30 in the men's 400-meter hurdles while Aimaya Drummond (San Antonio, TX/San Antonio Brennan) finished 14th in the nation in the women's 400-meter dash with a time of 56.67.
Action gets underway on Day 2 of the national championships on Friday at 1:15 PM for the Warriors.
Stay tuned to GoHillsTV all weekend long for live updates of the NJCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. GoHillsTV
Fans can follow live results here: 2022 NJCAA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
