SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist will begin competition at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Johnson C. Smith University will serve as the host of the championships, with all events taking place at the Irwin Belk Complex.
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Bison men qualified for two events, the 4x400-meter relay and the hammer throw. Lady Bison qualifiers include a 4x400-meter relay team and the 400-meter run.
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Saleem Fadel will begin competition in the hammer throw for the Bison Thursday at noon. Fadel had the No. 19 distance in the NCAA this year at 195' 6" (59.60 meters).
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McKae Mitchell kicks things off for the Lady Bison Thursday in the 400 at 4:55 p.m. Central. The final for the event is scheduled for 3:35 p.m. Central on Saturday. Mitchell had the 24
th-fastest time during the season in 55.14 seconds.
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OBU has the possibility to compete in the final two events of the championships Saturday evening. The Bison 4x400 relay team is set to run the preliminary round at 6:50 p.m. Central on Friday with the final on Saturday at 6 p.m. Central.
Sayvon Milton,
Dillon Phillips,
Carlos James and
Shirvante Knauls rank No. 18 in the event at 3:11.74.
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The Lady Bison will run the 4x400 relay preliminary round at 7:10 p.m. Central on Friday and the final for the event is Saturday at 6:10 p.m. Central. The team includes Mitchell,
JoziRose Mayfield,
Breanna Hurlbut and
Sherine Van Der Westhuizen, and had the No. 8 time in the nation at 3:42.03.
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This marks the first NCAA outdoor championship for OBU to participate in since becoming full members in the fall.
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