BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Grand Valley State was back in action at the WKU Hilltopper Relays as the track & field team picked up a number of NCAA qualifying standards against a field of Division I competition.
The Lakers scored a combined 14 provisional qualifying standards and times from the two-day competition, with nine Lakers improving on previous marks and moving up in the national outdoor qualifying lists for their respective events. Five male competitors earned six provisional standards, and three Laker women scored three provisional marks.
On the men's side,
Darien Thornton earned two provisional marks in the shot put and the hammer throw. The senior hit 61.12m (200' 6'') to place second in the hammer throw and eighth in the country, and hit 16.66m (54' 8'') and place sixth in the shot put and 17
th in the country.
TJ Burnett and
Sean Wells were the two GV athletes to earn provisional marks in the running events. Burnett scored a time of 52.49 in the 400m hurdles, giving him a second-place finish and the fifth best time in Division II. Wells placed third in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.10, giving him the 10th best time in the country.
For the field events,
Tor'i Brooks scored a first place finish in the high jump with a mark of 2.05m (6' 8.75''), while
Brandon Bean took fifth with the same height. The two currently sit 14th in Division II.
On the women's side, all three Lakers who earned provisional marks came in the field events.
Dajsha Avery scored a first-place finish in the discus throw with a mark of 14.54m (47' 8.25''), giving her the sixth-best distance in the country.
Krista Nauseda placed eighth in the pole vault with a mark of 3.86m (12' 8'') to give her the 11th-best mark in the country, and
Kyra Hull hit 54.51m (178' 10'') in the hammer throw to give her third in the event and the 17th-best mark in the country.
Grand Valley State resumes action in a weekend packed with races all across the country. GVSU will compete in the two-day Mt. SAC Relays in California from Thursday (Apr. 14) through Friday (Apr. 15), and will then compete in the Long Beach State Beach Relays on Saturday (Apr. 16) and in the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic on Saturday in Pennsylvania.
