Hutchinson, KS – Haleigh Hadley (Gilbert, IA/Gilbert) earned All-American honors and the Indian Hills Track & Field teams put together another strong showing on the second day of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Outdoor National Championship.
Hadley opened the day for the Warriors with a seventh place finish in the women's high jump to become a two-time All-American after earning the honor during the indoor season in the same event. Hadley cleared 1.62-meters for the Warriors.
Nick O'Connor (Tiffin, IA/Cleark Creek Amana) qualified for Saturday's finals in the men's 1,500-meter run after posting a 3:58.27 in the prelim round on Friday. Along with the 1,500m, O'Connor participated in the men's 800-meter run on Friday and the men's 4x800-meter relay on Thursday.
Matayah Naylor (Johnston, IA/Johnston) placed 11th in the nation in the women's 100-meter hurdles on Friday. The sophomore posted a time of 14.33 for the Warriors.
Three Warriors participated in the men's 100-meter dash on Friday, one of the top events for the program all year long. Aurel Tchanbi (Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire/College Heleis) ran a 10.23 in the event, the second-fastest all-conditions mark in program history. Tchanbi qualified for Saturday's finals with the fourth-fastest mark of the prelim round.
Tchanbi followed up with an impressive showing in the men's 200-meter dash, winning his individual heat with a time of 20.75. On Saturday, Tchanbi will compete in the men's 100m final, 200m final, and the men's 4x100m relay.
The men's and women's 800-meter run saw two standout performances for the Warriors. Reigning indoor national champion Aliyah Simmons (Miami, FL/North Miami) posted the second-fastest time in the prelim round with a time of 2:15.22. Simmons will head to Saturday's final at 2:20 PM for a shot at becoming the first two-time national champion in program history.
On the men's side, Rivaldo Marshall (Kingston, Jamaica/Calabar) easily won his heat in the men's 800m. Marshall, who finished as a runner-up at indoor nationals posted a time of 1:53.47 in the prelims on Friday, the third-best mark of the day.
The women's 4x400-meter relay squad captured a school record and earned a spot in Saturday's finals. Aimaya Drummond (San Antonio, TX/San Antonio Brennan), Simmons, Temira Goods (Des Moines, IA/Des Moines Hoover), and Kahliyah Anderson (Texarkana, TX/Texas) posted a program-best time of 3:47.09 and will compete at 4:05 PM.
The men's 4x400m relay closed out the day with a championship qualifying time of 3:11.30 to earn a spot in Saturday's final. Sydney Peal (Crofton, MD/Bullis), Dorian Craven (Dallas, TX/Duncanville), Roneldo Rock (St. Joseph, Barbados/Grantley Adams Memorial), and Kendrick Winfield (Louisville, KY/Louisville Male) posted a time of 3:11.30, the fourth-best mark of the preliminary round.
Action gets underway Saturday at 11:00 AM as Siby Yao (Leesburg, VA/Riverside), who earned All-American honors in the long jump on Thursday, will compete in the finals of the triple jump.
