Southeastern Men Claim NAIA Title; Taylor and 4x400 Relay Earn Individual Titles

BROOKINGS, S.D.- Yesterday Southeastern men's track and field team were on the verge of their first team NAIA National Championship in program history.
 
Today they claimed just that as well as two more individual national championship titles.
 
In the 400-Meter Dash, Joseph Taylor became the national champion after posting a time of 46.80 and claiming 10 team points for the Fire.
 
Taylor stated, "I came in ranked third, but I knew that I could do it. I just had to run my own race and do what I've been training to do all year long. Prior to coming here I've just been writing it down and putting it on my mirror."
 
Keishon Franklin finished seventh overall in the 400-Meters with a time of 48.10 to claim three team points and become an All-American.
 
Southeastern needed every point they could get as the team championship title came down to the final event of the weekend, the 4x400 Relay consisting of Davion Worrels, Franklin, James Turner, and Taylor.
 
Heading into the final event, the Fire sat at second place as a team, just two points behind Indiana Wesleyan and in a three-way tie with Life University and Keiser University.
 
After the first leg by Worrels, the Fire began to pull away from the rest of the field, securing the championship title in the event and the team title with a time of 3:10.40, four seconds faster than their closest competitor.
 
In the 60 Meter Hurdles, the Fire went 3, 4, and 8 with Davonte Vanterpool coming third with a time of 7.91 and Darion Carter coming in right behind with a time of 7.95. Glenn Rodgers was eighth overall with a time of 8.1.
 
James Williamson III grabbed two points for his team with a seventh place finish in the 200-Meter Dash.
 
Kyle Manuel made the podium and earned All-American status in the Shot Put after coming in second with a mark of 17.38 meters.
 
 
On the women's side, Julia Rohm claimed All-American honors in the 5,000 Meters after earning the last podium spot with a time of 17:57.21.
 
The women's 4x400 relay consisting of Tanae Grigsby, Oluwafikayomi Lawrence, Irmiris Mendez, and Namiah Simpson also claimed All-American honors after finishing fifth overall with a time of 3:48.12.
 
Simpson also added an All-American title in the 400-Meter Dash, posting a time of 57.09 for an eighth-place finish.
 
Head coach Nick Dodson was named the NAIA Men's Track and Field Coach of the Year after his team claimed the title. "What a journey. God couldn't have drawn it up any better. I probably had two or three heart attacks but I'm just so happy for the kids and the effort they put in. I couldn't be more excited to get that red banner and bring it back to Lakeland. We deserve it and we brought it home", stated Dodson.