BOSTON - The ACU men's and women's track and field teams are in position for a run at a pair of NCAA Division II indoor national championships on Saturday after Friday's qualifying at the Reggie Lewis Center.

 

The ACU women are in fifth place after qualifying with 12.33 points, while the ACU men are fourth with 11 points.  Indianapolis leads the women's team chase with 16.33 points, while Missouri Southern leads the men's team chase with 18 points.

 

The ACU women got points on Friday from freshman Jessica Withrow in the high jump and the distance medley relay, while the ACU men got their points from the distance medley relay and Yevgen Pashchenko in the long jump.

 

On the men's side, the Wildcats will have to put together an almost perfect day on Saturday to win their fifth straight indoor national championship.  The Wildcats qualified three athletes on Friday for Saturdsay's final, and they will also have two athletes in the triple jump, as well as the 4x400 relay and Nicodemus Naimadu in the 5000 meters.

 

Naimadu ran a pair of races on Friday, including the anchor leg of the distance medley relay, which finished second in 9:51.33, less than one second behind national champion Adams State (9:50.48).  Naimadu was fifth in the mile, checking in at 4:06.36, less than one second off the best time of the day (4:05.58), which was posted by Larry McDaris of the Colorado School of Mines.

 

"Nicodemus was just a warrior for us today," ACU head coach Don D. Hood said.  "He ran two great races (Friday), and he's still got a lot left for (Saturday).  We'll have to have him at his best to give us a chance."

 

Pashchenko went into the meet with the 14th-best long jump in the nation, but he posted his best mark of the season (24-0.25) to finish sixth and give the Wildcats three points.  He and Vladyslav Gorbenko will compete in the triple jump Saturday, and the Wildcats need big points from the duo.

 

Naimadu, named Thursday night the NCAA Division II National Indoor Male Athlete of the Year, will try to defend his national title in the 5000 meters, and he will also try to give the Wildcats points in the mile.

 

On the women's side, Withrow was the big story on Friday, finishing in a three-way tie for second to pick up 6.33 points for ACU.  Withrow entered the meet ranked NO. 11 in the nation, but she posted an indoor career-best mark of 5-7.75 to give the Wildcats unexpected points.

 

"Jessica competed like a senior (Friday)," Hood said.  "She looked like a seasoned competitor out there, and that set the tone for us."

 

The Wildcats qualified Shawna-Kaye Thompson into the final in the 60-meter hurdles, Jessica Hunt into the 200 meter final, Keva Wilkins and Azraa Rounds into the 400 meter final, and Olha Kryv'yak and Trina Cox into the mile final.  Both Cox and Kryv'yak will compete in the 5000 meters on Saturday, as well.

 

The Wildcats had a chance to get even more qualifiers into Saturday's finals, but Kim Prather didn't qualify in either the 60 meters or the 200 meters, and Thompson failed to qualify in the 200 meters and Brooklyn Hunt didn't qualify in the 400 meters.

 

"Our girls probably didn't do what had to do to win the championship," Hood said.  "But we'll be in the hunt to bring home some hardware.  We competed well and I was proud of that, but some of our inexperience probably caught up with us."

 

Aside from those women that qualified on Friday, Cox and Kryv'yak will run in Saturday's 5000 meter final, while Angie Aguilar will compete in the pole vault and the 4x400 relay team will also be on the track.