The senior has done it again. Just weeks after participating in the 2018 NAIA Track and Field National Championships, Olivia Askew (SR/Munster, Ind.) punched her ticket to the same meet, but will head to the sunny shores of Louisiana instead of the windy plains of Kansas. Askew aside, the Calumet College of St. Joseph track and field teams both performed well at the Crusader Open, breaking school records a mere 30-minute drive from the Whiting campus.
RESULTS
Men's Team: 2nd place out of five teams
Women's Team: 2nd place out of five teams
HOW IT HAPPENED
Askew entered the meet as one of the Crimson Wave athletes with the best shot to make a return trip to the national stage. After winning the 100 Meter Dash, and being a member of the victorious 4 x 400 Meter Relay squad, she set her sights on the 200 Meter Dash. The wind, which had been an issue all day, died down right before her race which gave her conditions ripe for success. Not only did Askew succeed, she excelled. Askew shattered the school 200 Meter record with a time of 24.87, easily giving her the B-Standard time and a spot at the 2018 NAIA Outdoor National Championships in late May.
While the men didn't have any national qualifiers, they did have several that came close. Demetrius Banks (JR/Hazelcrest, Ill.) won the High Jump, trying a school record with the mark of 2.01 meters. He attempted to hit 2.02, which would have sent him to Gulf Shores, Ala. along with Askew, but fell just short. Banks also finished 4th in the triple jump and 6th in the long jump. Three more school records were also broken on the men's side, with Ronnie Strain (SO/St. John, Ind.) placing in the top five of both the Shot Put and Hammer Throw, along with Robert Davis (SO/Baton Rouge, La.)' 6.94 meter distance in the Long Jump.
WHAT'S ON DECK?
Both squads will now prepare for the 2018 CCAC Outdoor Championships. With good weather in the forecast, the teams will look to place several more athletes into the national championships conversation.
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