Owens Becomes First Track Athlete in School History to Metal at NCCAA Nationals
Greenville SC: The Alice Lloyd College Lady Eagles and Eagles Outdoor Track and Field squad traveled to Greenville University, South Carolina, on May 11-13 to participate in the NCCAA National Track and Field Championships. Five ALC athletes earned their way to the most prestigious event of the NCCAA season. 23 women’s and 23 men’s squads were determined to give their best effort in the huge meet. The ALC men would finish in 19th position overall.
In women’s action, Riley Scheck competed in the Javelin throw. Out of 23 participants, her toss of 31.36M earned her an 11th-place finish. She has been impressive all season.
Hurdler Sarah Cecil came in 11th in the 100M hurdles in 16:60 seconds (new ALC record) out of 21 finalists. She was also 13th in the 400M Hurdles with a time of 1:13.49 out of 16 finalists. Cecil’s times improved every race.
On the men’s side of things, Dakota Owens came up huge. He finished in 3rd place out of 15 finalists in the 400M Dash with a time of 49:42. This impressive showing earned him a spot on the podium and made him the first track and field athlete to medal at nationals in school history. In addition, Owens finished 12th out of 32 finalists in the 200M Dash with a time of 21:93. He has had a spectacular season.
In the High Jump, Gerald Bentley soared to a height of 1.85M to tie for 11th position in his first nationals. The youngster has shown great promise.
Also, in his first nationals, Nick Chasteen finished 23rd out of 35 competitors in the 100M Dash with a solid time of 11:18 (a new ALC record). He was only off the finals qualifying time by .38 seconds and has his best days ahead of him. Both Bentley and Chasteen accomplished great things this season and look to make even bigger gains next year.
Track and Field season had ended for all but one athlete, as senior Ryan Morris qualified in April for the NAIA National Track and Field Championship in the Marathon run (which is why he did not compete in Greenville). Morris, who holds every school’s distance-running record, will compete on May 27th in Gulf Shores, Alabama, in that ultra-challenging event.