Taylor Track Set for NAIA Outdoor Championships

Women's Championships Central | Men's Championships Central 

MARION, Ind. – The Taylor men's and women's track & field teams are set to begin competition at the 2024 NAIA Outdoor National Championships beginning Wednesday, May 22 and unfolding throughout Friday, May 24, hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana.

The Trojans are sending 19 athletes to compete in 13 events, split almost evenly between men and women, with the women tallying one more athlete and one more event.

Leading the way is the 4x800-meter relay team consisting of Noel VanderWall, Emily Johnson, Olivia Jeanette, and Abby Mays, with Kaitlin Burden as the alternate. The Trojans are seeded third after posting a terrific time of 9:06.58 at the Crossroads League Championships. 

VanderWall is also competing in the 1,500-meters after crushing her own program record earlier this season, with a time of 4:28.32, which has her seeded tenth.

Ahna Neideck is looking to garner All-American Honors in the steeplechase in all four of her collegiate seasons after finishing seventh twice and a career-best fifth last year and is seeded fourth.  

Mollie Gamble will try to earn back-to-back All-American Honors in the 10,000-meters after finishing sixth a year ago and is seeded 13th. Kiana Siefert is back at Nationals this season but in a different event, where she will compete in the long jump and is seeded 22nd.  

Audrey Brinkruff is competing in the 5,000-meters and seeded 19th, where freshman Sam Patterson will join her and is seeded 44th. Mays is competing in a pair of events, also taking part in the 800-meters, where she is seeded 26th.

On the men's side, the 4x800-meter relay team kicks off the action Wednesday evening at 6:50 p.m.

TU is looking for a strong result from its relay team, as it recorded the fourth fastest time in the nation this season with an A Standard of 7:34.40 at the Crossroads League Championships.

Nathan Brainer, Nate Conkel, Ben Eiffert and Joel Mumaw have been the mainstays in the 4x800 during the outdoor season, though James Bates – who has consistently been the third fastest runner in the 800 meters for TU – could factor into that mix.

Also competing on Wednesday evening is Jared Stayte, whose 20-second personal record in the 3,000-meters steeplechase at the CL Championships allowed him to qualify for this year's National Championships.

Conkel, who returns to the NAIA Outdoor Championships after a seventh-place showing in 2023, opens things for the Taylor men on Thursday in the 800 meters at 2:50 p.m.

Freshman Nathan Burns competes in the 5,000 meters to close out the running events for TU on Thursday. Burns won his opening two 5,000-meter races of the season and hit NAIA A standard in his very first collegiate outdoor meet earlier in 2024.

As for the field events, Jake Thompson competes at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the high jump, as the senior brings national championship experience in another event, the long jump, from a season ago.

Sophomore Josh Forbes is the final Trojan men's athlete slated to participate in the Outdoor Championships, as he looks to improve on his then-personal record, 12th-place finish in the 2023 NAIA Championships. Forbes has the confidence of a runner-up showing in the pole vault at the NAIA Indoor Championships in early March.

Fans can access the NAIA's pay-per-view webcast, live results, full events schedule and more by visiting the Taylor Indoor Track and Field National Championships Centrals at the links provided above.