Three Saints On Their Way to NAIA Indoor Nationals in South Dakota
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The official final rosters and entry lists for all qualifiers for the 2023 Men's NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships have been announced.
Ian Lee Heung, Tr'Darius Taylor and Jose Zarate of Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) have qualified for the championship hosted by Dakota State University at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D., March 2-4.
Head Coach Patrick Torres commented, "This is the biggest group we've taken to the indoor nationals meet, and the first time more than a single athlete has gone in OLLU history. Jose is a veteran and I'm confident in his experience under pressure. Ian and Tr'Darius have shown they have the potential to do something really special this meet despite being new to the program. I like our chances to make the finals and maybe sneak away with an All-American award."
Zarate will run the 5000m. His qualifying time was 14.47.80, ranking 10th among a slate of 35 runners. He set the time at the Crimson & Gold Invite at Pittsburg State University on Dec. 11 in Kansas. Zarate's event prelims take place on Thursday, March 2, at 2:45 p.m. The finals will take place on March 4 at 4 p.m. Zarate first qualified for nationals in 2022 in the 3000m.
Taylor will run the 60m. His qualifying time was 6.88, ranking 34th in a slate of 40. He set the time at the Jarvis Scott Open at Texas Tech University in Lubbock on Feb. 11. His event prelims take place on Friday, March 3, at 2:35 p.m., and the finals will be held on March 4 at 2 p.m.
Heung will participate in the triple jump. His qualifying mark was 14.52m, ranking 16th among 36 participants. He set the mark at the Texas Tech Matador Qualifier in Lubbock on Feb. 17. Heung will jump on Saturday, March 4 at 1:30 p.m.
Qualifiers by event CLICK HERE
Event Schedule CLICK HERE