PITTSBURG, Kan.- The weather may have turned in record lows outside, but the Beavers certainly brought the heat inside the Robert W. Plaster Center on Pittsburg State's campus.
Pratt's long-distance specialist Zach McPhee finished second in the mile-run, timing out at 4:22.67, but his work in the 1000-meter dash earned him a national qualifying spot after clocking in at 2:34.43, good for a fourth-place finish. McPhee is now qualified in four events for the NJCAA national Championships, including the mile-run, 3000-meter dash, 5000-meter dash and now the 1000-meter dash.
Pratt's lone high-humper, Greg Curry again broke ground a new personal best, reaching 1.95 meters for a third-place finish. Lamont Hill placed ninth in the triple-jump with a distance of 12.37-meters.
Already nationally qualified in the 60-meter hurdles, Marvin-Jean Francois managed a second-place finish in the event, crossing the finish line at 8.28. Kashawn Baptiste put together a personal record in the 60-meter dash, timing out at 6.89 seconds in his preliminary heat. Baptiste eventually finished fifth-overall in the finals run, narrowly missing his preliminary mark with a 6.90-second finish. He also finished eight in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.99 seconds. Mark Emilien also competed in the 400-meter dash, as he finished fifth just ahead of Baptiste with a time of 49.93 seconds.
Three Beavers ran in the men's portion of the 200-meter dash, where Rosean Young (22.89), Sameer Mateen (23.17) and Devvion Mitchell (23.74) finished 19th, 22nd and 26th, respectively. Uwimana Rukundo, another long-distance runner for Pratt, placed ninth in the 1000-meter dash, as well as 16th in the 800-meter dash.
On the women's side, Dalajah Long placed third in the final round of the 60-meter hurdles, clocking out at 11.09 seconds. Jameka Chisholm and Emauri Heads each qualified for the 200-meter fash finals, finishing ninth and 21st, respectively. Chisholm timed out at 26.06 seconds, with Heads finishing with a time of 29.42 seconds. Maya Angela-Miller placed ninth in the 400-meter dash, crossing the finish line with a time of 1:03.95.
The Beavers have a week to prepare for the KJCCC/Region VI Championships, which are scheduled to take place February 20-21 in Pittsburg.