PITTSBURG, Kan.- A week ago in Lawrence, the Beavers track & field team saw three of its men and women qualify for the national indoor meet. On Saturday at the Pittsburg State Invitational, a total of eight Beavers punched their tickets to Lynchburg, Va.
One of the biggest moments of the day for Pratt came by way of Warren Williams, whose time of 7.90 seconds placed him first in the 60m hurdles, blowing past the necessary national qualifying time of 8.43. Williams qualified for the finals by posting a time of 7.99 seconds, also best among the preliminary round. Williams will compete at the NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships on the campus of Liberty University on March 6-7.
Pratt's Kadesha Prescott starred for the Beavers in the 60m dash as well as the 200m dash. Prescott's 60m time of 7.38 seconds was more than enough to clinch her a spot in the national meet, clearing the 7.83-second threshold. Prescott eventually finished first in the 60m finals with a time of 7.39 seconds. Prescott also finished second in the final round of the 200m dash with a time of 24.49 seconds.
Along with Williams and Prescott, Jahmad Booth, Patricia Brown, Che Lara and Pratt's men's 4x400 relay team posted quick-enough times to qualify for the national meet. Jamaal Morris and Michael Hudson, two runners that had already qualified for the championship meet following their work at the Jayhawk Classic a week ago, are now eligible for multiple events in March.
Hudson, whose time of 21.87 seconds in the 200m dash at the Jayhawk Classic had already clinched him a position in Lynchburg, posted a time of 6.71 seconds in the preliminary heat of the 60m dash. He eventually ran for 6.73 seconds in the final round, placing him third in the event. Not far behind was Booth, as his 6.85-second 60m run was not enough to place him in the final round, but was enough to grant him a place in the championship meet.
Morris was already a national qualifier in the 60m dash, and is now a national qualifier in the 200m dash following a time of 21.47. Morris joins Hudson and Priest Foust as national qualifiers in the event. Foust recorded a time of 21.84 at the Jayhawk Classic, besting the necessary time of 21.89.
Che Lara, running in the 400m dash, finished third after clocking in at 47.73 seconds. Brown's time of 7.83 seconds in the 60m dash failed to qualify her for the final round, though her time matched the national requisite for championship meet.
Track & field will hit the road this weekend as the team travels to Lincoln, Neb. to compete at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational.