Eight Mustangs compete at indoor national meet

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- A total of eight Mustangs competed at the 2023 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships this week at Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex, highlighted by a top-10 finish in the shot put by Bre Nail.

Nail, an indoor national qualifier for the second year in a row, entered the meet seeded 12th in the shot put. She jumped up to ninth with her best toss of the this indoor season (13.94m) on Saturday.

Abby Hill was the first Mustang to compete this week, finishing 15th in the 3,000-meter race walk on Friday morning. She crossed the finish line in 17:46.17, her second-fastest time this season.

Mitch Miller, a two-time national qualifier and the Heart of America Athletic Conference champ in the weigh throw, entered the national meet ranked 20th in the event. He surprassed that, placing 16th with a throw of 17.07 meters, which was the second-best toss of the indoor season for Miller.

Caleb Rutherford and Luke Nickelson also bettered their seeding this week. Rutherford came in ranked 22nd in the shot put, then ended up 19th with a 14.95 meter throw. Nickelson, seeded 26th in the triple jump, finished 23rd with a leap of 13.69 meters.

Keegan Thompson and Breon Wade raced in the prelims of the 60-meter dash, with Thompson ending up 32nd (:06.96) and Wade 39th (:07.12).

Brooklyn Johnson, a first-time national qualifier like Hill, Thompson, and Wade, placed 26th in the women's long jump with a jump of 5.21 meters.

Southeastern claimed their first men's national title with 45 points. Life was runner-up with 40 while Dordt (38.6), Indiana Wesleyan (37), and Keister (36) rounded out the top five. On the women's side, it was Indiana Tech winning the national championship with 85 points. Huntington was second (64), William Carey third (58), Life fourth (50), and Milligan fifth (29).