PREVIEW: Lakehawk Track & Field Travels to NJCAA Outdoor Championships
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (Track & Field) – The Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC) men's and women's track & field teams travel to Hutchinson, Kan. for the 2025 NJCAA Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted at Hutchinson Community College beginning on Thursday, Mar. 15.
A total of nine Lakehawks are set to compete at outdoor nationals across 10 different events. This year marks the first time the program has taken a team to the outdoor national championships.
Mark Fyffe was the first Lakehawk to qualify with a Long Jump mark of 7.50m. Fyffe will also run in the 100m as the Lakehawks' first white card.
Kenyon Wells and Oksanna Smith also qualified by time along with Fyffe at the Embry-Riddle Running Elements Classic in April, both in the 400m Hurdles.
On the men's side, Wells' 400m Hurdle time of 53.81 was good for fourth at Embry-Riddle and, at the time, ranked within the top-10 nationally. Wells will also serve as the reserve for the Lakehawks' 4x800m Relay team.
Smith qualified for the 400m Hurdles with a time of 1:04.43, ranking 13th nationally. Smith will also have the opportunity to compete in the 200m at nationals.
Spencer Palmer became the fourth Lakehawk to qualify for the 800m after clocking a time of 1:53.24 at the UCF Knights Invite in late April. Palmer currently holds four 800m spots in the Lakehawk record book, including the top two spots.
The final individual to qualify for nationals was Jaden Miller. Miller's Long Jump mark of 5.68m currently ranks 14th nationally which allowed her to secure a spot in the championship.
Miller will also run in the 100m with a personal record (PR) of 12.98.
In addition to the individuals, the Lakehaks will also take a 4x800m Relay team to compete. The relay team is comprised of Anthoney Allen, William Petersen, Thatcher Clarke, and Spencer Palmer.
Clarke and Chris Morinvil will compete as Lake-Sumter's other two white cards.
Clarke is also set to compete in the 3000m Steeplechase with a PR of 10:22.60. Morinvil will compete in the Long Jump with a current PR of 6.82m.
Below is the schedule of events the Lakehawk Track & Field team will be competing in (all times are EST):
Men's Long Jump – Thursday, 12:00 p.m.
Women's Long Jump – Thursday, 3:00 p.m.
Men's 4x800m Relay – Thursday, 6:15 p.m.
Women's 400m Hurdles (Prelim) – Thursday, 7:00 p.m.
Men's 400m Hurdles (Prelim) – Thursday, 7:15 p.m.
Women's 100m (Prelim) – Friday, 3:30 p.m.
Men's 100m (Prelim) – Friday, 3:50 p.m.
Men's 800m (Prelim) – Friday, 4:30 p.m.
Women's 200m (Prelim) – Friday, 4:50 p.m.
Men's Steeplechase – Friday, 5:50 p.m.
Women's 100m (Final) – Saturday, 3:00 p.m.
Men's 100m (Final) – Saturday, 3:10 p.m.
Women's 400m Hurdles (Final) – Saturday, 3:45 p.m.
Men's 400m Hurdles (Final) – Saturday, 3:55 p.m.
Women's 200m (Final) – Saturday, 4:10 p.m.
For more information about the championship, visit the NJCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship page here.
Follow the Lakehawks
Follow @LakehawkSports on Twitter, @LakehawkAthletics on Instagram and Lake-Sumter State College Athletics on Facebook for the latest news with Lakehawk Athletics.