Mustangs off and running at NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships

Seven TMU Track & Field athletes competed across five events on the first day of the NAIA National Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium. The highlights of the day came from Seanna Nalbandyan (women's 400-meter hurdles) and Arianna Ghiorso (women's 1500 meters), who qualified for the finals in their respective events with their performances in the trials.
 
"Everyone competed the best they could today," Master's head coach Zach Schroeder said. "I'm very thankful to work with such an amazing group."
 
In the women's 400-meter hurdle trials, Nalbandyan crossed the line in 1:02.43 to finish third in the second of two heats and fifth overall.
 
"I felt a little nervous going in because it's been a rollercoaster of a season, but then I reminded myself that the Lord gave me the opportunity to be here and it if it's His will for me to continue I would," Nalbandyan said. "So going on the line I had a lot of peace and excitement. I just ran with confidence as if it was my last race."


 
The top-two runners from each heat automatically qualified, with the next four fastest runners also joining them in advancing to the finals, which will consist of eight runners.
 
Nalbandyan began in lane six and entered the final straightaway in fourth place, but a strong closing 100 meters allowed the two-time NAIA All-American to jump up to third in her heat.
 
The senior finished seventh in both of her previous All-American performances in the same event in 2018 and 2019. Friday's finals are set to begin at 4:10 p.m. CT / 2:10 p.m. PT.
 
"It's truly an honor to be back here alongside all these amazing athletes and my amazing teammates," Nalbandyan said.
 
In the women's 1500-meter trials, Arianna Ghiorso placed fifth in heat two of two, and 10th overall, with a time of 4:45.23 to advance to Friday's finals.
 
The top-four runners from each heat automatically qualified, with the next four fastest competitors also joining them to make it 12 who will race in the finals.


 
Ghiorso started on the outside in the seventh out of eight positions, but at the gun she bolted to the front of the pack, leading for the first 200-plus meters.
 
"I had originally planned on just going out right behind the front girls, but I saw how slow the first heat went out and then it turned into a sit and kick," Ghiorso said. "I didn't want that to happen to my race, so I decided to just get out there and set the pace."
 
She crossed the 300-meter mark in second place and almost finished the second lap in the same spot, before narrowly dropping to fourth. She finished the third lap in fourth as well, before settling for fifth after the final lap.
 
"I felt pretty good," Ghiorso commented. "It was warm for sure, but much cooler than my freshman year which I was so grateful for."
 
Ghiorso entered the national championships with the 11th-best time in the event, the same place she finished at the national meet in 2019. Friday's finals are scheduled for 3 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. PT.
 
"The goal for the finals is to make the top-eight and become an All-American," said Ghiorso, who earned All-American honors this year in cross country. "Ultimately though no matter the outcome, the goal is and always will be to be a Kingdom influencer and a witness for Christ."


 
The men's 4x800 relay of Davis Boggess, Zach Garey, Cameron Fooks and Kevin Pacheco finished 11th out of 16, and fifth of eight in heat two, in a time of 7:43.09, just .32 seconds off the program-record mark the quartet set less than two weeks ago at the Last Chance Twilight.
 
Unfortunately for Master's, that 11th-placed finish did not advance the Mustangs to Friday's final, with six of the eight teams advancing coming from the first heat.
 
"The first heat was extremely fast and we knew that we needed to get top-two to move on," Boggess said of his team's mentality entering the second heat. "Every guy gave their best effort and we were only 3.63 seconds off from being All-Americans."
 
However, it was an improvement from TMU's 14th-placed finish in this same event two years ago, which Boggess and Pacheco were a part of.
 
"We went out there to run for an audience of One," Boggess continued. "God gave us His best for the day and we rejoice in that. I pray that we can preach the gospel as we cheer on our team for the next two days. All glory to God."
 
Boggess led things off for the Mustangs from lane six, surging in the final 100 meters of his first lap from seventh place to neck-in-neck for top spot. After dropping back to seventh position, he made a similar surge in the final 100 meters of his second and final lap, getting up to fourth.


 
Garey took the baton from him, quickly moving up to third and advancing as high as second, before ultimately handing off to Fooks narrowly in third position. Fooks, like Garey, got up to as high as second in his two laps, before the pack began to scramble toward the end of the third leg.
 
The anchor Pacheco received the baton in fifth place, finishing in that position after getting to as high as third.
 
"The race was an unreal experience," Pacheco said. "I'm really proud of my guys because at the end of the day we were less than one second off our PR. I know we went out there giving the Lord all our praise regardless of the time we were going to put down. I love the guys and the fellowship we had this year."


 
Micaiah Scott finished 14th out of 18 in the women's javelin with a mark of 37.52m. Her first throw went 36.94m before receiving a no-mark on her second throw. She saved her best throw for what would be her last, as Scott did not finish in the top-nine to earn three more attempts as part of the finals in the event.
 
Although she was disappointed with the final outcome, she was able to see keep her sights on the bigger picture, as evidenced by her writing 1 Cor. 10:31 on her leg for the meet.
 
"It allowed for me a greater opportunity to rely on the Lord and what He's given me," Scott said. "That's why at every meet I wear 1 Cor. 10:31 on my leg. I wear It as a means to remind myself that every effort is for Him. It was all for His glory alone.


 
"It was a reminder for me that His plans are that much greater than mine and even though I didn't perform as well as I had hoped, God still gave me this platform to compete on and He allowed me to come out here and be a support to my teammates."
 
The sophomore still made Master's history in the process, becoming the first TMU thrower to compete at the national championships.
 
"I feel blessed to just be out here, especially with such a rocky and unexpected start to our season," Scott said. "Every step and moment of this journey with the javelin has been a blessing from Him that I don't deserve."
 
To close out the day, Brint Laubach finished 16th out of 28 in the men's 10,000 meters in a time of 32:26.81.
 
"I definitely have run better but I gave it all out there on the course," Laubach said. "I think I accomplished my ultimate goal which was to honor God with this race no matter what the outcome was."
 
He found himself in fifth position after the first lap, 12th after two and then 14th through 16th thereafter.
 
"I was trying to find a good rhythm to maintain through the race," Laubach said. "The 10K is very long and I wanted each lap to be consistent in time. Then as the race was coming to a close, I wanted to push past those who were fading."
 
His 16th-placed finish was a 10-spot improvement from where he was seeded entering the race.
 
"It was an amazing opportunity to be here and God has blessed me so much with this team and the ability to compete at this level," Laubach said.
 
The national meet continues on Thursday, with Pacheco competing in the men's 800-meter trials at 3:50 p.m. CT / 1:50 p.m. PT. Team captain Wesley Methum and teammate Daniel Rush will then race in the men's 5,000-meter trials at 8:35 p.m. CT / 6:35 p.m. PT.
 
The meet will be live streamed at: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/naia/
Live results can be found at: https://live.pttiming.com/?mid=2259
 
Meet Schedule