ALLENDALE, Mich. – On day two of the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the Cougars had four athletes achieve All-American status, and the women's team secured spots in tomorrow's track finals in two events.

ALL-AMERICAN PERFORMANCES

Friday was the final day of competition for the heptathlon and decathlon, and when all was said and done, Azusa Pacific had Nicole Warwick and Alysa Henry earn distinction as All-Americans in the heptathlon, while Lincoln Krog was an All-American in the decathlon.

Entering Friday, Warwick was No. 3 in the standings, and Henry was No. 8, and by the end of the seven events, Warwick finished as the national runner-up with 5,546 points, and Henry secured a sixth-place finish with a career-best score of 5,202 points. Warwick opened Friday with a long jump mark of 5.84m (19' 2"), which gave her a second-place finish in the event. In the javelin, Henry took second with a throw of 41.99m (137' 9"), and Warwick came in fourth at 41.83m (137' 3"). In the final event of the competition, the 800 meters, Warwick placed eighth (2:23.71), and Henry was 10th (2:27.39). Warwick is now a two-time heptathlon All-American, as she placed third at Nationals last spring for the Cougars. Warwick and Henry's All-American finishes combined to score 11 points for the Azusa Pacific women's team total, as the Cougars will enter the final day of competition tomorrow ranked in third place of the team standings with 21 points.

"Nicole really stepped up today to the competition's challenges," said head coach Jack Hoyt, "She had seven strong events and did not show any weakness. Alysa earned her first All-American award and she never lost her focus. Her javelin and shot put cementer status."

For the second consecutive season, Krog is an All-American decathlete, as he finished the 10 events with a final score of 7,132 points, which is a career-best tally for him. Over the five events on Friday, Krog placed in the top five in three events, including a career-best mark of 53.09m (174' 2") in the javelin on his first attempt, which was good enough for a fifth-place finish. Last year at Nationals, Krog placed eighth in the decathlon. 

"Lincoln overcame some rough vertical jumping events with big throws and a positive attitude that lead him to a new personal best," said Hoyt, "It was a great showing for our mutli athletes, and they all have an even brighter future ahead!"

In addition to Krog's All-American effort that scored three points for the men's team, the Cougars also picked up two points from Nixon Korir in the 3K steeplechase. Korir, who was competing at Nationals for the first time in his career, ran his way to All-American status with a seventh-place finish. Korir closed the race out strong, as his final lap was his second fastest of the day, running the final 400 meters in a time of 1:08.90 to cross the finish line with an overall time of 8:54.26. 

"Nixon was a total gamer this weekend, running the two-fastest times of his life on back-to-back days," said distance coach Sean Smith, "He worked up the field perfectly and finished strong. He raced like a veteran. Nixon has come such a long way, and he will certainly be one to watch over the next few years."

WALKER & 4x400 RELAY TEAM QUALIFY FOR SATURDAY FINALS

Azusa Pacific had two qualifying performances on the track in the preliminary rounds on Friday, as Jaylah Walker secured her spot in the 100 meter finals, and the Cougars' 4x400 relay team of Alayna Verner, Trinity Miller, Kiayra Holmes and Walker will also run in the finals tomorrow as well.

Walker cruised to the finals with a time of 13.82 seconds in heat one, placing second in her heat to clinch an automatic qualifying spot. Walker will have a busy day ahead of her tomorrow, as she will run in the finals of both the 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles, as well as the finals of the 4x100 and 4x400.

In the 4x400 prelims, the Cougars grabbed an automatic qualifying spot by way of a second place finish in heat one, where the quartet combined for a time of 3:42.72, which was the fourth-fastest time of the prelims. 

CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY LIES AHEAD FOR COUGARS

The third and final day of Nationals is shaping up to be another exciting one for Azusa Pacific. On the women's side, the Cougars currently sit in third place, with plenty of scoring opportunities ahead tomorrow:

Women's Pole Vault (9:30 am PT) - Sara Wagenveld
Women's Javelin (10:30 am PT) - Luisa Fischer, Molly Olson, Nicole Warwick
Women's High Jump (11:05 am PT) - Chin Agina
Women's 4x100 Relay (11:10 am PT) 
Women's 100m Hurdles (11:55 am PT) - Jaylah Walker
Women's 100m (12:35 pm PT) - Mechaela Hyacinth
Women's 400m Hurdles (1:20 pm PT) - Jaylah Walker, Jordan Hammond
Women's 5K (2:25 pm PT) - Jenny Sandoval
Women's 4x400 Relay (3:00 pm PT)

On the men's side, the Cougars will have Jermel Jones II compete in the triple jump finals at 9:45 am PT, and Dominic Gonzalez-Shelmire will run in the 400 meter finals at 12:05 pm PT.

A live stream of the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships can be watched on NCAA.com, and live results can be followed on Leone Timing. Also, the results for all Cougars competing tomorrow will be updated in a timely fashion on Meet Central.