Gallery: (5-27-2022) National Outdoor T&F Championships
GULF SHORES, Ala. –
Raheema Westfall solidified her place among Wayland Baptist's all-time best sprinters when she claimed two national titles – the last via a meet record – and was named Most Outstanding Performer as the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships came to a close here Friday.
Westfall claimed the undisputed title of fastest female in the NAIA when she won both the 100 and 200 meters. First, she broke the tape in the 100 in 11.43 seconds then came back to win the 200 in 22.98. That eclipsed the 28-year-old national meet record of 23.10 set by Sevethedn Fynes of Southern-New Orleans way back in 1994. It also bettered her own school record of 23.26 set earlier this year at the Masked Rider Open in Lubbock.
Results
"What a meet for Raheema," WBU coach
Brian Whitlock said. "To win the 100 and 200 is impressive, but to break a national meet record from 1994 – with a negative tailwind – is really something."
Westfall just missed a national meet record in the 100 in Wednesday's prelims when she ran 11.37, only .09 off the mark of 11.28 set by Jura Levy of Oklahoma Baptist in 2014.
"Raheema probably would have broken it but she backed off because it was the prelims," Whitlock said. "She didn't quite put the same race together in the final."
Westfall just missed the school record in the 100 earlier this season, running a personal-best 11.20 that was just 2/100ths of a second off the school record of 11.18 set in 2015 by Rochene Smith.
Whitlock couldn't say enough about his sprint star, as well as assistant coach
Frank Wallace.
"Raheema has done everything we've asked. Her and Coach Wallace really hit it off this year. As far as her work ethic, she conducted herself like a professional track & field athlete this year, and she has the potential to sign a pro contract. Those are very good times. I hope she gets a chance."
A senior from St. Louis, Westfall ends her collegiate career as a 12-time all-American with five runner-up finishes and three national titles. She also won the indoor 200 earlier this year while helping the outdoor 4x400 relay to a crown last year.
"What a way to close her career," Whitlock said. "It made our weekend."
Westfall's dual titles provided Wayland with all 20 of its points on the women's side as the Pioneers tied for 11
th place. British Columbia easily claimed the team title with 138 points, 44 more than runner-up Indiana Tech.
On the men's side, the Pioneers managed eight points and tied for 40
th place. Life (Ga.) won the team title with 52 points, followed by Southeastern (Fla.) with 47. British Columbia was third with 39.
"We didn't have a great meet," Whitlock said. "It's hard when you're used to being in contention every year to being down and a little thin like we were."
The WBU men's eight points came courtesy of the fourth-place 4x400 relay team,
Dennis Kiptoo who was seventh in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and
Zachary Johnson who took eighth in the long jump.
After his showing in Thursday's long jump, Johnson was hoping for another all-American performance in Friday's triple jump, an event he won indoors earlier this year. But against an improved field, the junior from Spring, Texas, settled for 13
th place with a mark of 48 feet, 4 inches.
"Zach struggled some outdoors, mostly because he was injured much of the time. But he did what he could," Whitlock said. "He actually got off a pretty good jump. It's just hard to have success against elite athletes like this if you can't train."
Kiptoo, a junior from Kenya who qualified for the steeplechase final with the fastest time Thursday morning (9:21.59), ended seventh in the final with a clocking of 9:19.87. Whitlock said Kiptoo's best chance to win the race was to go hard early, and he did.
"We went for the win. Dennis took the lead and tried pushing the pace. But it's hot and humid and windy, so that was hard to (sustain). The last two laps just got him. But I liked the effort. The right plan was there and he gave it all he had, it just didn't happen. But I was proud of Dennis."
Whitlock also was proud of his 4x400 relay. WBU has a long history of success in that event, and the Pioneers showed up again as
Reymond Bueno,
Reggie Mouton,
Case Drum and
Che Lara ran 3:13.08, good for fourth place. Not bad for a team ranked outside the top 10 going into the meet.
"We were in the lead after two turns," Whitlock said. "Rey ran the best leg of the season on lead-off and handed off in second or third. Reggie closed out his career with a great leg and handed off in first."
Drum, a freshman from Class 1A Roaring Springs, did tremendously well considering, Whitlock said. "Case went for it. He struggled coming home, but he gave us everything he had.
"Che closed us out with a pretty good split. All-in-all, I was happy."
Friday started bright and early with sophomore
Alex Spencer, just weeks after having his appendix removed, competing in the half-marathon. From a field of 49 runners, Spencer finished a very respectable 29
th in 1:15.36.
"I was real proud of Alex," Whitlock said. "He had an appendectomy April 2 and didn't get to run for an entire month, so to come over here in the humidity after an appendectomy and run 13 miles in 1:15 and beat 22 guys… .
"That kid has some guys and toughness, both mentally and physically. That's why he won our character awards. There's no doubt in my mind he would have been an all-American (top eight) if he didn't have that appendicitis."
NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships
Friday's Results
(All Finals)
Women
Team Standings: 1. British Columbia 138; 2. Indiana Tech 94; 3. William Carey 48; 4. Concordia (Neb.) 44; 5. Life 38; 11. (tie) Wayland Baptist 20
100: 1. Raheema Westfall, 11.43
200: 1.
Raheema Westfall, 22.98 (national meet record; old record, 23.10, 1994)
Men
Team Standings: 1. Life, 52; 2. Southeastern 47; 3. British Columbia 39; 4. St. Mary (Kan.) 32; 5. Madonna 29; 15. Oklahoma City 19; 40. (tie) Wayland Baptist 8
Half Marathon (49 Entrants): 29.
Alex Spencer, 1:15.36
Triple jump: 13.
Zachary Johnson, 48-4
3,000 Steeplechase: 7.
Dennis Kiptoo, 9:19.87
4x400 Relay: 4. WBU (
Reymond Bueno,
Reggie Mouton,
Case Drum,
Che Lara), 3:13.08
Thursday's Results
(All Preliminaries unless otherwise noted)
Women
100: 1.
Raheema Westfall, 11.37*; 16.
Jovanna Gustave, 12.08; 20.
Cheyenne Hill-Johnson, 12.16
Men
Long jump (Final): 8.
Zachary Johnson, 23-9
4x800 relay: 13. WBU (
Reymond Bueno,
Reggie Mouton,
Cesar Amador,
Jordan Dixon), 7:40.34
3,000 steeplechase: 1.
Dennis Kiptoo, 9:21.59
800: 21. Bueno, 1:55.50
400: 17.
Che Lara, 48.74; 27. Mouton, 51.48
4x400 relay: 8. WBU (Bueno, Mouton,
Case Drum, Lara), 3:13.42*
Wednesday Preliminaries
Women
4x100 relay: 27. WBU (
Cheyenne Hill-Johnson, Jovanna Gustavo,
Faith Castillo,
Sakena Massiah), 48.65
200: 1.
Raheema Westfall, 23.41*
Men
200: 38.
Brenden Strickland, 22.26
*denotes qualified for finals
