4x800-Meter Relay Notches All-American Honors to Highlight Second Day of NAIA Championships

TU Women's TF NAIA Outdoor Championships Central | Video Highlights

MARION, Ind. – Taylor continued competition at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday, highlighted by collecting NAIA All-American honors in the 4x800-meter relay.  

The 4x800-meter relay team took the track in finals and notched a season-best time of 9:01.96 to finish fifth. The quartet of Noel VanderWall, Emily Johnson, Olivia Jeanette, and Abby Mays ran a terrific race and were consistent in all three legs, with everyone running between 2:13 and 2:17. The fifth-place finish notches four points for Taylor and NAIA All-American honors for the quartet of athletes.

Mays began the day for the Trojans in the 800-meters, running a career-best time of 2:13.50, which was not enough to qualify for the finals but saw her finish 17th overall.  

The final event of the day for Taylor saw Audrey Brinkruff and Sam Patterson compete in the 5,000-meters. Brinkruff finished just outside of the qualifying spots in 17th, with a time of 17:47.59, while Patterson took home 24th, clocking a time of 18:01.83.  

The Trojans have a pair of athletes competing in finals on Friday, beginning with Ahna Neideck in the steeplechase at 1:00 pm. Her younger sister, VanderWall, will cap the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the Trojans in the 1,500-meters starting at 2:00 pm.