03.11.06 - Huntington
University sophomore Joel Sanders and freshman Lucas Beach both finished
fifth in their respective events at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field
National Championships and earned NAIA All-America honors as a top six
finisher.
Sanders,
an elementary
education major from Fort Wayne, Ind. (Snider High School), competed in
the 1000 meter run at the National Championships for the second time in as
many years. He entered this year's race seeded 11th of 21 runners
with his qualifying time of 2:31.18 in
the event. In the prelims, Sanders came up with a personal record
(PR) with his time of 2:29.30 to qualify for the event finals. But,
he was just getting warmed up as he sprinted to yet another PR in the
finals, crossing the finish line in fifth place with a time 2:28.62.
His time marked the fourth time that Sanders has broken his own school
record in the 1000 m this season.
Beach,
a Bible and
religion and physical education double major from Lucerne, Ind. (Pioneer
High School), followed a path similar
to the one Sanders took. He entered the shot put event also as the
11th-seed with his qualifying mark of 51' 11.25". On his second of
six attempts, Beach came up with his own PR, a toss of 53' 2.25", to
secure another fifth place finish for HU and his first All-American
honors.
Three other Foresters participated in the
National Championships and gained valuable experience competing against the top runners in
the NAIA. Cody Hannie, a
junior English education major from Fort Wayne, Ind. (Snider High
School), ran in the 800 meter event. He finished 20th with a time
of 1:58.35.
Nick Johnson, a
freshman
exercise science major from Huntington, Ind. (Huntington North High
School) made his first appearance at
the National Championships. He competed in the 3000 meter run
and was 26th with his time of 9:02.86.
Jill Roughia, a
freshman history education major from Bryant, Ind. (Jay County High School),
was the lone female qualifier for the Foresters. Roughia
placed 20th in the 1000 meter run with a time of 3:11.53.
The Forester track
and field teams are coached by Tom King. For more information on the
track program, visit
www.huntington.edu/athletics/track. For complete results of the
Championships, visit
www.naia.org. |
