Ames, IA – Freshman Tyrice Taylor (Linstead, Jamaica/Linstead) cemented his name in National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) history on Saturday as the Indian Hills Men's Track & Field squad competed at the Iowa State Classic.

 

Taylor, who entered the day with the second-fastest 800-meter run time in school history, upped his personal best time in the event with a 1:48.86. Taylor's mark is the fourth-fastest all-conditions mark in NJCAA history. The freshman's time is just 0.40 seconds behind school record holder Rivaldo Marshall (Kingston, Jamaica/Calabar). 

 

Marshall, who ranks second all-time in NJCAA history in the 800m, posted a time of 1:49.71 on Saturday which would still rank inside the top-10 all-time among junior college competitors.

 

Along with Taylor and Marshall's efforts in the event, freshman Mohammed Al-Yafaee (Doha, Qatar/Aspire Academy) and Cole Reinders (Sarnia, Ontario/St. Patrick's Catholic) produced strong performances in the 800m. Al-Yafaee nearly set a personal best with a time of 1:51.73 while Reinders finished right behind Al-Yafaee with a new personal best time of 1:52.11. Both Al-Yafaee and Reinders rank third and fourth all-time in the 800m in school history.

 

Freshmen Troy Johnson (Lancaster, PA/J.P. McCaskey) recorded two impressive first-place showings for the Warriors in the long jump and triple jump. Johnson posted a 13.55 meter mark in the triply jump and a 6.81 meter mark in the long jump to take top honors. Teammate Chris Sizemore (Speedwell, VA/Rural Retreat) placed second in the long jump with a mark of 6.52 meters.

 

Freshman Cadence Bass (Kansas City, MO / Park Hill) cleared a height of 1.89 meters in the men's high jump to place third overall at the meet.

 

CJ McFerrin (Alpharetta, GA/Alpharetta) and Damien Lewis (College Station, TX/Brenham) placed third and fourth, respectively in the men's 60-meter hurdle finals. McFerrin posted a time of 8.23 followed by Lewis' time of 8.39, just 0.04 seconds off a personal best time.

 

The Warriors produced four of the top five finishers in the men's 60-meter dash, highlighted by freshman Traunard Folson's (Jacksonville, FL/Andrew Jackson) first-place showing. Folson produced a personal-best time of 6.80 in the prelims and tied the mark in the finals to take top honors and hit a national qualifying mark. Nehemiah Ray (Chicago, IL/Brother Rice) placed second overall with a personal best time of 6.83 to also hit a national qualifying time. D'Eric Smith (Bridgeton, NJ/Ankeny Centennial) crossed the finish line 6.85 seconds to placed fourth overall followed by Woyn Chatman's (Little Rock, AR/Little Rock Central) time of 6.98.

 

Chatman and Smith went 1-2 in the men's 200-meter dash as the Warriors brought home the top-five marks. Chatman clocked in at 21.84 followed by Smith's 21.90. Samuel Thomas (Kirksville, MO/Kirksville), Ke'Vontae Walls-Burdine (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran), and Chris Johnson (Houston, TX/Cypress Park) rounded out the top-five.

 

The Warriors also took home four of the top five times in the men's 400-meter dash. Freshman Chris Giles (Columbia, MO/Rock Bridge) placed first overall with a time of 47.54, the third-fastest mark in school history. Chris Johnson placed second overall with a time of 48.13, just 0.11 off a personal best. Walls-Burdine placed fourth overall with a personal best time of 48.40 in the event followed by Kylen Crosby (Alpharetta, GA/Alpharetta) with a 49.07.

 

Next up for Indian Hills is the team's final competition before postseason action gets underway. The Warriors head to the 8th Annual Indoor Gorilla Classic in Pittsburg, KS on February 10-11 before the NJCAA Region XI Championship opens up on February 17-18 in Storm Lake, IA.