PORTLAND | Two Warner Pacific University track and field athletes punched their tickets to the NAIA National Track and Field Championships this weekend, both with record setting performances. 
 
The Run Down
 
Senior triple jumper Brittany Coleman won the Cascade Conference meet in LaGrande, Oregon on Saturday with a new conference meet record as well as the stadium record. Her mark of 12.02m (39' 5.25") broke her own conference record of 11.97m and gives her an automatic berth to the NAIA National meet. She is currently ranked ninth in the nation with her mark.
 
"Brittany had a great meet setting both the stadium record and the conference record. Coach Anderson has her ready to go after some even bigger marks at the national meet. She really looks good right now and it will be exciting to see what she can jump at nationals," said head Coach Randy Dalzell.
 
Meanwhile, sophomore teammate Indya Price, who had run the 800m Saturday at the conference meet, but had gotten stuck leading a slower paced tactical race and did not get a personal best or national qualifying mark out of the race, turned around and ran Sunday at the Portland Distance Carnival at Sherwood, Oregon and ran a new three second personal best of 2:14.87, giving her the best time in the conference and the #14 time in the nation. The top 16 are automatic qualifiers for the national meet. The mark is also a new school record, breaking the old mark of 2:16:79, set by Kendel White in 2001.
 
"Indya and I both went from being really disappointed with the slow tactical race at the conference meet to ecstatic about the super-fast race at the Portland Track Festival. She just needed to get into a good fast race with a bunch of other high quality ladies that were all trying to run fast and that's exactly what we got at the Portland meet. Her three second personal best and automatic national qualifying is awesome after thinking we had lost a chance at it the day before," said Coach Dalzell.
 
Deeper Look
 
A number of other WPU athletes placed well at the conference meet, with some breaking into the top 10 all-time lists for WPU. Jett Pharn-Cromb ran 10.86 seconds in the men's 100m, which is the #2 all-time WPU mark, to place 5^th overall in a very deep field.  He also finished eighth in the 200m in 22.69. Indya Price finished 4^th in the women's 800m in 2:19.00. Kyznie DeLeon finished fourth in the women's 10,000m in 40:07.97. Carlos Nelson finished sixth in the men's javelin with a mark of 50.35m (165' 2.25").Cade Kooch finished 10^th in the steeplechase with a new personal best of 10:18.70, the ninth best mark all-time for WPU. Jake Brauchler placed 10^th in the men's shot with a mark of 12.27m (40' 1") and also placed 13^th in the men's hammer with a mark of 40.88m (134' 1.5").
 
Flash Forward
 
Brittany Coleman and Indya Price will travel to Gulf Shores, Alabama to compete in the NAIA National Track and Field Championships May 25-28. Coleman in a two-time All-American in the women's triple jump while it is Price's first trip to the NAIA National meet.