MARION, Ind. - Lewis-Clark State College senior Lindsay Szybura qualified for the finals in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase to highlight the opening day for the Warriors at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Indiana Wesleyan University on Thursday.
Szybura finished her heat in a time of 11 minutes, 21.5 seconds. She finished sixth in her heat, but she ran in the fastest heat because it produced seven of the top 14 times among the three heats that qualify for the finals. Teammate Kyli Astle just missed qualifying as she was timed in 11:39.48.
The steeplechase finals will be on Saturday. It's the third time Szybura has competed in the event at nationals, but she barely missed qualifying for the finals in the two previous years.
Tanner Smedley, a freshman, set a personal record in the men's steeplechase by more than 13 seconds with a time of 9:30.89. That placed him 18th overall in the heats, but only the top 13 advance to the finals.
LCSC's other competitor on Wednesday was sophomore Kirsten Smith in the hammer throw. She threw 153-04 free on her second of three throws, which placed her fifth in her flight and 15th overall. Only the top nine advanced to the finals later in the day. Smith threw about 10 feet less on her first attempt, then recorded her best throw before fouling on her final attempt.
