GENEVA, Ohio – Lewis-Clark State College freshman Kaytlyn Coleman finished high enough to earn All-American honors in the weight throw at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships on Friday afternoon.
Coleman, who is from Kennewick, Wash., claimed seventh overall with a distance of 56-04.5 (17.18 meters). The top eight finishers in each event win All-American status. Coleman is the first indoor track and field All-American in program history.
“Obviously an outstanding effort for Kaytlyn today,” said LCSC head coach Mike Collins.
Because she’s only a freshman, Collins says Coleman will develop as a thrower even more and could compete for the national title in the weight throw in years to come.
“I think she’s quite capable of winning this event. She expressed a little bit of disappointed today, but I know that she’s excited and happy about being an All-American.”
Coleman will attempt to reach the podium again Saturday when she competes in the shot put at 10 a.m., PT.
Lewis-Clark State’s Sam Atkin and John Murray also competed at nationals on Friday.
Atkin, a sophomore from Lincolnshire, England, qualified for the finals in the 3,000 meters with the second fastest preliminary time of the day. He finished second in his heat with a time of 8:30.94, narrowly behind the leading mark of 8:30.63. The top 12 times qualified for the final race which will be held at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday.
“Sam was ranked No. 34 in the country heading into the race and now he’s No. 2,” Collins said. “It will be exciting to see what happens. It should be a good race tomorrow.”
Murray, a sophomore from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, took 17th in the men’s weight throw with a score of 52-01.0 (15.87m).
“He’s a good thrower. Just a little flat today,” Collins said. “He’s disappointed, but I think he’s gained some experience and this will undoubtedly help him down the road.”
The indoor national championships will wrap up on Saturday. All action can be seen live on the NAIA Network, the official video-streaming channel of the NAIA. For more information, click here.
