ALLENDALE, MI – In a season like no other, the Colorado Christian track and field programs finished it like never before.
The Cougars sent four competitors to the NCAA Championships and came away with two All Americans and team points on the leaderboard.
Women's 800 Meter Race
Michelle Kuipers became the schools first woman Track and Field athlete to earn All American honors. The freshman, running just 30 minutes from her hometown, crushed her school record with a time of 2:07.32 to place fourth. She ran an even split of 1:03.66 and she moved from eighth after the first lap before passing four runners in the last 400 meters.
Kuiper earned a spot in the nine-person final by running the sixth best time in the preliminary round by winning her heat in a time of 2:11.54.
Her effort also earned five team points as the Cougars finished 38th.
Men's 10,000 Meter Race
The duo of Ryder Searle and Josh Pierantoni competed in the grueling 25-lap race. On a chilly Thursday evening in Western Michigan, Searle posted a personal and school record time of 29:22.39 to place eighth and become the schools second ever track and field All American. Only current assistant coach Evan Verbal has previously earned the honor. Josh Pierantoni set a personal best time as he crossed the finish in 29:43.46.
During the race the duo ran steady laps before Searle moved from his 12th place position with five laps left to the 10th spot with one remaining then overtaking two more runners to earn his All American status with a top eight finish.
The finish by Searle gave the Cougars team points as they finished in a tie for 57th in the country.
Men's 1500 Meter Race
Blustery conditions help make the situation difficult for the competitors. Running in his first track and field national championships, Trent Cochran ran with the leaders in a tightly bunched field. Ultimately, he crossed the finish line in 3:56.89 to place 11th and just under four seconds behind the winner. He was just under three seconds off an All American finish.
QUOTABLE: "The meet capped off a great year for our program. We had strong performances from all of our athletes and I was thrilled to see Ryder and Michelle earn All American honors. This was a special experience for our athletes and they are leaving the meet with a sense of gratefulness for all that was accomplished this year," head coach Jon Poag said.
