Mustangs off to fast start at NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships

A trio of Mustang 1500-meter runners got Master's off to a flying start at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Wednesday in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
 
Anthony Ghiorso, Hannah Fredericks and Ellen Palmgren all qualified for their respective 1500-meter finals, which will take place on Friday.
 
"Everyone is performing so amazing here in Alabama," Master's Head Coach Zach Schroeder said. "Our 1500-meter runners couldn't have run more tactically sound."
 
Ghiorso ran the second-fastest qualifying time in the men's 1500-meter preliminaries (3:54.98), finishing only behind the defending national champion in the event (Zola Sokhela, Westmont College), to book one of 12 spots in the final.
 
"Anthony's experience on the track is so evident," Schroeder said of Ghiorso, a two-time NAIA 4x800 meter relay champion at Dordt University before transferring to TMU this year. "He advances to the final and I think he is going to make a strong run for an All-American spot."


 
Fredericks (4:40.21) and Palmgren (4:42.17) ran the fourth and 10th-fastest qualifying times to reach the final in an event they ranked second and fifth respectively in entering the national meet. They each finished fourth in their respective heats to automatically qualify for the final.
 
"Both Hannah and Ellen ran great as well," Schroeder said of his star duo who qualified for nationals individually in two events each. "They ran a conservative race, sticking to the game plan."
 
Three-time NAIA All-American Seanna Nalbandyan placed 16th in the women's 400-meter hurdles in a season-best time of 1:03.95. She was hoping to become the second Mustang to earn All-American honors in a single event four times.
 
Official results for the women's javelin have yet to be posted, but Micaiah Scott was believed to finish 10th, just missing out on a spot in the final reserved for the top-nine throwers.
 
"Both Seanna and Micaiah ended their season without making the final, but these girls praise God in victory and defeat," Schroeder said. "Now they turn their attention to supporting the team the best they can to help them stay positive."
 
The men's 4x800 meter relay and the men's and women's 10,000 meters were supposed to take place on Wednesday night, but a weather delay forced the postponement of those races until Thursday.
 
The men's 4x800 is scheduled for 11:20 a.m. CDT / 9:20 a.m. PDT, while the women's 10,000-meters is set for 9:30 p.m. CDT / 7:30 p.m. PDT with the men's to follow at 10:15 p.m. CDT / 8:15 p.m. PDT. Sophie Southerden, Autumn Nootbaar and Kimberly Page will compete in the women's 10K, while Wesley Methum and Brint Laubach are set to run in the men's race.
 
"The meet schedule will probably be a moving target tomorrow and the athletes that keep their thoughts and attitudes right will most likely perform their best," Schroeder said.
 
Also set to compete on Thursday is Palmgren in the women's 800-meter preliminaries at 3:30 p.m. CDT / 1:30 p.m. PDT.
 
The top-eight men's 4x800 relay teams from the preliminaries will then advance to Thursday night's final at 7:30 p.m. CDT / 5:30 p.m. PDT.
 
"I'm really happy with what I am seeing out of this group as they desire to image Christ to the word by their love for one another," Schroeder said.