MARION, Ind.—For the second straight day, a Concordia women’s thrower won a national title while the men’s team followed suit to give Concordia three championships through the first two days of action at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships held at Indiana Wesleyan University.

 

Headlining the day for the Cavaliers, Kayla Xavier successfully defended her national title in the shot put with a season-best 50-10 (15.49m) while teammate Gabriella Dixson set a career best with a 50-7 1/4 (15.42m) to take second place.

 

Both throwers hit their top marks on their fifth attempt to give the Cavs 18 team points. Xavier was ranked seventh heading into the meet while Dixson was the fifth-rated thrower in the NAIA.

 

Taking a cue from the women, Nate Moses won the men’s discus with a school-record 197-5 (60.17m). Moses won the event by more than 18 feet as five of his six attempts would have won the competition. Moses’ mark added nearly five feet to his previous school record of 192-7. Meanwhile, Ismael Osorio added a second All-American honor in the discus with a career-best 163-5 (49.81m) for seventh place.

 

Concordia’s fifth All-American of the day came from NyEma Sims in the 100-meter dash. After notching an 11.93 in the semifinals, Sims returned to the track for a school-record 11.77 to take third place overall and add six team points. Sims shattered her former mark of 11.91 which was established during Thursday’s preliminary round.

 

Four additional Cavaliers safely advanced to finals on the middle day of action. Setting the third school record of the day, the men’s 1,600-meter relay consisting of Jordan Reeher, Edgar Vazquez, Jasen Brown and Andre Washington toured the track in 3:13.28 to shave more than a full second off their 3:14.51 set at the CCC Championships two weeks ago.

 

The quartet finished fifth in the first heat of action and held on for the ninth and final qualifying spot despite registering the seventh fastest time of the day.

 

Brown and Reeher moved on to finals in their individual specialties, respectively. In the 800, Brown set a season-best with a 1:51.88 for the second fastest semifinal mark while Reeher crossed with a 52.80 in the 400 hurdles for fourth in the second heat and eighth fastest overall.

 

In other action, Ethan Moore closed out his season with a 16th-place finish in the long jump at 22-5 1/4 (6.84m) and failed to clear the opening height of 6-6 in the high jump. The women’s 400-meter relay team also missed qualifying to finals after a botched handoff on the second exchange.

 

With one day left, the defending national champion Concordia women’s team is in second place in the team standings with 39 points. Azusa Pacific leads with 44 points while Oklahoma Baptist is in third with 35 points.

 

The CU men hold third place in the team chase with 29 points, trailing only Shorter (47) and Azusa Pacific (44).

 

100 (finals): 3. NyEma Sims, 11.77. 100 (semis): 4. NyEma Sims, 11.93. 5,000 (prelims): 14. Sarah Whybark, 18:37.85. Shot: 1. Kayla Xavier, 50-10 (15.49m); 2. Gabriella Dixson, 50-7 1/4 (15.42m). 400 Relay: Concordia, DNF (Kristin Monda, NyEma Sims, Jennifer Roberts, Marshey Brown).

 

800: 2. Jasen Brown, 1:51.88; 17. Cory Pena, 1:55.73. 400 Hurdles: 8. Jordan Reeher, 52.80. 5,000: 18. Andrew Landstrom, 15:31.34; 22. Ben Foubert, 15:59.04. Long Jump: 16. Ethan Moore, 22-5 1/4 (6.84m). High Jump: Ethan Moore, NH. Discus: 1. Nate Moses, 197-5 (60.17m); 7. Ishmael Osorio, 163-5 (49.81m); 15. Bo Johnson, 155-9 (47.48m); 18. Eric Whalen, 151-5 (46.16m). 1,600 Relay: 9. Concordia, 3:13.28 (Jordan Reeher, Edgar Vazquez, Jasen Brown, Andre Washington).

 

1st, Nate Moses, discus
1st, Kayla Xavier, shot
2nd, Gabrialla Dixson, shot
3rd, NyEma Sims, 100
7th, Ishmael Osorio, 7th

 

Nate Moses, discus, 197-5 (old record of 192-7 by Moses in 2012)
NyEma Sims, 100, 11.77 (old record of 11.91 by Sims in 2012)

1,600 Relay, 3:13.28 (old mark of 3:14.51 set in 2012)