Morningside’s men’s and women’s 3200-meter relay teams earned All-America status with sixth place finishes at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.

Morningside College finished sixth in both the men’s and women’s 3200-meter relays on Friday at the 2016 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala.

The Mustang relay teams earned NAIA All-America status by placing in the top eight at the national meet. Both relay teams had qualified for the finals with the sixth fastest times in Thursday’s prelims.

Morningside’s men’s 3200-meter relay quartet of Jacob Green, a sophomore from Sioux Falls, S.D.; Kyle Hiser, a junior from Shenandoah, Iowa; Drew Schiltz, a junior from Hinton, Iowa; and Jacob Willey, a senior from Onawa, Iowa, combined for a time of 7:48.98.

Friends University, the NAIA National Champion in the 3200-meter relay during the indoor season, clocked a time of 7:36.40 to run away from the field. Indiana Tech, the national leader during the regular season, finished a distant second with a time of 7:41.89.

Morningside’s women’s 3200-meter relay team of Shelby Hall, a senior from Woodbine, Iowa; Michelle Mumm, a sophomore from Neola, Iowa; Tiffany Shepherd, a junior from Corning, Iowa; and Morgan Applegarth, a freshman from Lincoln, Neb., combined for a time of 9:15.25 to edge St. Francis University (9:15.49) at the finish line for sixth place.

Biola University was a runaway winner with a time of 8:57.16 to win the NAIA National Championship by a six-second cushion over runner-up British Columbia University (9:03.33).