Mustangs hit five qualifying marks at Drake, Grand View

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The Mount Mercy track & field teams counted five national qualifying marks this weekend as the Mustangs competed at the Drake Relays and Grand View Viking Classic.

Bre Nail and Ollie Wear hit automatic qualifying marks for the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships later this month. Nail continues to own the top mark in the Heart of America Athletic Conference after winning the shot put at Grand View with a toss of 13.95 meters. Wear finished second in the college division at Drake with a 58.28 meter throw in the javelin.

Abby Hill is now second in the Heart in the women's javelin after hitting an NAIA "B" qualifying mark of 39.23 meters at Drake. At Grand View, Kaden Schilling (hammer/55.19m) and Hunter Crew (discus/48.81m) also nailed an NAIA "B" standard for the Mustangs.

Nathan Keiper and Morgan Batten as well as four men's relay teams also competed at Drake. Keiper and Batten competed alongside Wear in the javelin. Both finished in the top 15 as Keiper placed 11th (48.43m) and Batten was 12th (46.51m).

Keegan Thompson, Breon Wade, Omar Holness, and Jordan Schroeder finished 19th in the 4x100 meter relay with a time of :42.32. Thompson, Wade, Keiper, and Schroeder teamed up to place 19th in the 4x400 meter relay as well, crossing the finish line in 3:22.64.

The spring medley squad of Thompson, Schroeder, Holness, and Brady Cortez finished 10th in 3:34.87, while Sergio Lizarraga, Keiper, Cortez, and Ryan Clancy were fifth in the distance medley relay in 10:34.33.

The Mustangs look ahead to championship week as Mount Mercy hosts the 2023 Heart Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday and Saturday, May 5-6, at the Robert W. Plaster Athletic Complex.