TUCSON, Ariz. (March 16, 2024) – The NAU track & field team saw an impressive start to the outdoor season as they sent athletes to the Arizona Spring Break Fiesta and The TEN meet.
Nico Young made his 10,000-meter debut at the Sound Running The TEN meet, breaking the collegiate record in the event with a time of 26:52.72. His time hit the Olympic standard and earns him a new NAU and Big Sky record. Young is one of five American men to break the 27-minute mark in the 10K.
Madeline Wilson saw a strong start to her outdoor season as she took the event win in the 100-meter with a time of 11.63.
Hannah Schmidt placed 26
th while
Kenashalee Kerr finished 27
th, both with times of 12.28.
Alaynah Reed placed 12.36 with a time of 12.36 with
Haley Posey finishing 36
th with a time of 12.74.
Wilson saw her second event win of the day in the 200-meter, running a wind-aided time of 23.16 to easily claim victory.
Kyairra Reigh was not far behind in sixth with a personal best time of 23.77.
LiNay Perry placed 17
th with a time of 24.41, with
Hannah Schmidt finishing 31
st with a personal best time of 25.02.
Alaynah Reed was the final NAU competitor in the event, placing 38
th with a time of 25.66.
Reigh also competed in the 400-meter, finishing second with a time of 53.21.
Jackson Glamann competed in the men's 400-meter, finishing 24
th with a time of 51.20.
In the men's 100-meter
Kyle Smith was the top NAU finisher, placing 14
th with a time of 10.68.
Khamis Hassan finished 17
th with a time of 10.70, while
MarcAnthony Sanchez placed 26
th with a personal best time of 10.79.
Joshua Anderson also competed, finishing 42
nd with a time of 11.10.
Smith was also the top Lumberjack competitor in the men's 200-meter, placing 11
th with a personal best time of 21.19. Sanchez and
Trenton Givens also earned new PRs, finishing 23
rd and 25
th respectively with times of 21.72 and 21.80.
Joshua Anderson also competed, placing 32
nd with a time of 22.10.
Tyson Givens had a good day on the track, setting a new personal best in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55.14 to place eighth.
Ethan Seppala finished 10
th with a time of 57.31, while
Cannon Booker placed 12
th with a time of 58.02.
Givens placed seventh in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.78.
Zachary Taylor finished 14
th in the event with a time of 15.36.
LiNay Perry and
Janelle Sanchez finished ninth and 10
th respectively in the women's 400-meter with times of 1:04.24 and 1:04.86. Sanchez's time was a personal best in the event.
Hannah Schmidt placed 14
th in the event with a time of 1:08.14.
In the women's 100-meter hurdles
Jyntry Rucker was the lone Lumberjack competitor, placing 12
th with a time of 14.78.
The women's 4x100-meter relay saw an impressive performance, with
Kyairra Reigh,
LiNay Perry,
Brenna Rodriguez, and
Madeline Wilson combining to run a time of 45.44. Their time puts them at third on NAU's all-time performance list in the event and earned them sixth in the event.
The men's 4x100-meter relay placed ninth, with
Mitchell Effing,
Kyle Smith,
Khamis Hassan, and
Trenton Givens combining to run a time of 40.51.
Sariyah Horne-Kemp got her season started off with a bang, placing third in both the hammer throw and the discus, setting new PRs in each event. She threw 58.07 meters in the hammer throw and 48.41 meters in the discus. Tañia Duncan also competed in both events, placing 14
th in the hammer throw with a mark of 42.96 meters and 10
th in the discus with a mark of 36.99 meters.
Piper Pfister was the lone women's javelin thrower for NAU, placing seventh with a mark of 45.02 meters.
Alaina Diggs closed the day out for the women's throws, finishing fifth in the shot put with a mark of 14.96 meters.
Parker Bays competed in the hammer throw and shot put, seeing strong finishes in both events. He finished third in the hammer throw with a mark of 58.35 meters, and placed fifth in the shot put with a personal best mark of 17.46 meters.
Jake Tucker and
Drayden Allen also competed in the shot put, placing 11
th and 12
th respectively with marks of 15.91 meters and 15.09 meters.
Allen returned to compete in the discus along with
Trystan Gillis, with the two placing 16
th and 18
th. Allen threw 43.10 meters while Gillis hit a mark of 41.20 meters.
The 'Jacks had three competitors in the men's javelin, with
Clay Carbajal finishing eighth with a mark of 62.44 meters.
Clayton Zupke placed 17
th with a mark of 53.27 meters while
Karim Grissett finished 21
st with a mark of 48.96 meters.
Brenna Rodriguez got her season started off strong, placing second in the long jump with a personal best mark of 5.90 meters. Her mark puts her eighth on NAU's all-time performance list in the event.
Kenashalee Kerr placed seventh in the event with a mark of 5.53 meters, while
Alexa Hamilton finished 11
th with a mark of 5.33 meters.
Kerr and Rodriguez also competed in the triple jump, with Kerr placing fifth after jumping 12.25 meters. Rodriguez placed eighth with a mark of 12.06 meters.
In the men's triple jump,
Christian Mutengela placed fifth with a mark of 13.86 meters.
Sirr Butler competed in the long jump for the men, finishing 14
th with a mark of 6.22 meters.
The Lumberjacks are headed back to Tucson next week to compete in the Willie Williams Classic. The meet will take place from Friday, Mar. 22 through Saturday, Mar. 23. Stay up to date with NAU Cross Country and Track & Field by following us on Twitter and Instagram.
