Columbia SC – The College of the Ozarks Track and Field teams competed in the NCCAA National Championships and represented well in the multi-day event.

Tanner Bailey brought home the National Championship in the 10,000m run and Chase Larimore repeated as National Champion in the Pole Vault. With Larimore’s finishing height in the event, he punched his ticket to compete in the NAIA National Championships in Marion, Indiana May 22-24.
Bailey turned in a time of 33:11.18 in the grueling 10,000m run to claim the top spot. Bailey has proven to be a leader on both the Track team and the Bobcat Cross Country team, and his title adds to his growing resume of success. Larimore finished with a height of 4.70 meters to claim his second consecutive title.

The Bobcat and Lady Cat qualifiers competed well and turned in solid finishes against the top NCCAA talent from across the country.

On the women’s side, Maisie Goodwin finished 13th in the Javelin throw with a distance of 29.81m while Praise Phillips finished in 24th with a throw of 27.07m. Kristlyn Smith crossed the line with a 15th place finish in the 100m Hurdles with a time of 17:23. Keena Goze turned in an impressive 5th place finish in the Women’s 10,000m run with a time of 39:49.81. Morgan Wood and Emma Godwin finished in 17th and 20th place respectively in the Women’s Long Jump with distances of 4.92m and 4.84m. Wood also competed in the 400m Hurdles and her time of 1:09.79 was good for an 8th place finish. Sarah Alferink finished in the top 10 with her 9th place finish in the 1500m run with a time of 5:10.11.

On the men’s side of the competition, following the performances of Bailey and Larimore, Maddux Nosari finished 21st in the 400m Hurdles with a time of 1:03.58. Drew Rose finished in 12th place in the 3,000m Steeplechase with his time of 10:35.67 and Gavin Fletcher completed a top 10 finish in the Shot Put with a distance of 13.85m (9th Place). Tucker Ahlers rounded out the top finishers with a 15th place finish in the Men’s Javelin with a distance of 41.80m.

The track teams had an impressive season with a large number of qualifiers for the NCCAA National Championship meet and multiple personal bests throughout the season.

Larimore will begin his quest for an NAIA title May 22.