Morningside qualified for the finals in the men’s 3200-meter relay and the women’s distance medley relay at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships.

Morningside College qualified for the finals in the men’s 3200-meter relay and the women’s distance medley relay during Thursday’s semifinal heats at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Johnson City, Tenn.

The Mustangs qualified for Friday’s final in the men’s 3200-meter relay with the second fastest qualifying time of 7:44.29 by the quartet of Jacob Green, a junior from Sioux Falls, S.D.; Drew Schiltz, a senior from Hinton, Iowa; Alec DeVries, a junior from Merrill, Iowa; and Kyle Hiser, a senior from Shenandoah, Iowa.

The Mustangs finished second in their heat behind NAIA national leader Siena Heights University, which ran a 7:38.36 for the fastest time in the nation this season. Indiana Tech University, last year’s NAIA 3200-meter relay national runner-up in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, ran the third fastest qualifying time for Friday’s final with a 7:44.97.

Morningside qualified for Saturday’s final in the women’s distance medley relay with the eighth fastest time of 12:09.39 in Thursday’s semifinal heats. The Mustangs’ distance medley team of Tiffany Shepherd, a senior from Corning, Iowa; Eleka Joseph, a junior from Saint John’s, Antigua; Payton Boer, a sophomore from Sioux Center, Iowa; and Michelle Mumm, a junior from Neola, Iowa, finished third in their semifinal heat behind Aquinas College (12:06.35) and Cornerstone University (12:06.61).

Oklahoma City University was the fastest qualifier for Saturday’s final with a time of 12:02.79. Aquinas is the NAIA national leader with a season’s best of 11:59.79.

The NAIA Track & Field National Championships will continue through Saturday.

Results