4x800-Relay Earns Seventh Straight Trip to NAIA Nationals
MARION, Ind. - TU tallied three event champions and a B standard on the opening day at the Indiana Little State Championships. Taylor's 4x800-meter relay team hit the standard, marking the seventh consecutive season the Trojans will compete at the NAIA national meet in that event.
The women's 4x800-meter relay squad of Rachel Blagg, Alex Berends, Margie Crosby and Anna Souzis took first with a time of 9:27.10, which was six seconds better than the runners-up from IWU. Also scoring 10 points for the Trojans with a first-place finish was Livy Schroder who recorded the sixth best time in program history in the 10,000-meter run at 38:33.44. The final top finish was landed by Plenseh-Tay Sakeuh who hit the NAIA 'A' standard with a leap of 5.84 meters in the long jump competition. Sakeuh outjumped 13 other competing athletes to earn the win.
An additional top-five performance was turned in by Amanda Dibley who recorded a new personal best in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, taking fourth place in 11:43.89.
Tomorrow's action at the Little State Championships will feature final heats for all the sprinting events along with a handful of mid-distance and relay races. Thanks to her prelim run, Sakeuh will enter the 100-meter hurdles on Saturday seeded third while Sarah Robinson will compete in the 100-meter hurdles and the 200-meter dash seeded seventh and eighth, respectively.