Kati Kneifl placed second in the women’s javelin in Thursday’s action at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.

Kati Kneifl, a junior from Sheldon, Iowa, placed second in the women’s javelin with a school-record breaking performance in Thursday’s action at the 2018 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Kneifl, this year’s Drake Relays champion with a school-record distance of 152-2, set a school record with a distance of 153-8 on her final attempt of the competition. Bailey Dell of Northwest Christian University, the NAIA national leader in the regular season and last year’s national runner-up, finished first with a distance of 155-7.

Kneifl earned NAIA All-America honors with her second place finish.

The Mustangs Aurora Arevalo, a junior from Lenox, Iowa, is in fourth place with 2853 points after four events in the women’s heptathlon. Chelsea Baker of Friends University, the national leader entering the competition and the NAIA National Champion in the pentathlon during the indoor season, leads the field with 3227 points. Tyanna Petty of Rio Grande University is second with 3104 points, followed by Kaiann Arellano of the University of Jamestown in third place with 2906 points.

The heptathlon will conclude on Friday with competition in the long jump, javelin and 800-meters.

Morningside qualified for Friday’s final in the men’s 3200-meter relay when Zach Ambrose, a freshman from Dunlap, Iowa; Dylan Lindstrom, a freshman from Hickman, Neb.; Jason Kenny, a senior from Schaller, Iowa; and Jacob Green, a senior from Sioux Falls, S.D., combined for a second place time of 7:37.66 in their preliminary heat. Kenny ran the Mustangs’ fastest split with a 1:51.80. The Mustangs, who finished second in their heat behind a 7:37.25 by Eastern Oregon University, ran the ninth fastest time in the prelims. Rocky Mountain College ran the fastest qualifying time with a 7:35.76.

The Mustangs had four athletes compete in Thursday’s individual event prelims and not advance to the finals.

Chase Hiser, a sophomore from Shenandoah, Iowa, and Jacobus Noble, a sophomore from Sioux City, each finished fourth in their preliminary heats of the 400-meter hurdles with times of 54.51 and 54.74, respectively, and did not advance to Saturday’s finals.

Eleka Joseph, a senior from Saint John’s, Antigua, finished eighth in her preliminary heat of the women’s 200-meters with a time of 25.52 seconds.

Allison Higgins, a senior from Jefferson, Iowa, finished 10th in her preliminary heat of the women’s 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:49.47.

Results