Winona Lake, IN–May 12th–The Men’s and Women’s Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) Track teams competed this past week in the NCCAA National Outdoor Track Championships at Grace College in Winona Lake, IN. Destiny Barclift (Fr.), represented the women’s squad as she became the first sprinter, male or female, to compete at the national level. She qualified in the 100m and also raced in the 200m dash. Barclift finished 17th in the 100m and 20th overall in the 200m. Head Coach Jason Covarrubias said, “We are extremely proud of Destiny. She has accomplished a lot in such a short time and cannot wait to see her progress over time! She is in a good spot and we are extremely proud of her!
The three members of the men’s team competed in the championships–Sophomore captain Robert Herrera, Cody Walker (So.), and junior Adrian Cedillo. The trio competed in eight events over the two-day event at Grace. Herrera and Cedillo started the run of events with the 10,000m on Thursday evening. Herrera came in with the 2nd fastest time and Cedillo the 6th, but that is not how they finished as Herrera in dramatic fashion raced to the finish claiming the program’s first men’s NCCAA National Champion crown. Cedillo who also ran a great smart race, finished in 4th place giving the Lions 15 points after day one.
The next morning, Walker and Cedillo competed in the 3000m Steeplechase and again the men were seated well below where they finished. Walker paced his way to a 3rd place finish as he demolished the school record with the time of 9:52.80 and became an NCCAA All-American. Cedillo’s amazing double on less than 18 hours after the 10,000m finished in 7th place. The two combined for 8 points.
Finally, the trio of Hererra, Walker, and Cedillo; competed in the 5,000m. This event competed a triple for Cedillo along with Walker, who had finished 14th in the 1500m an hour after the 3000SC. “The race was fast as expected but the guys really buckled down and gave it a great effort. Herrera’s effort (who finished in 8th place) came up big for us. His 1 point was enough to hold off Biola University as the men’s team of three runners finished 11th out of 23 teams that scored a point or more.”
Coach Covarrubias recapped the event, “I am extremely proud of our four. Destiny has positioned us in a nice spot for the future, you have to get one to get two to get ten and she is one! The men all had a gutsy performances especially at such a high level. Adrian Cedillo, regardless if he is not a national champion or an All-American could easily be named the athlete of the meet. He ran in 18,000m which include 35 steeple jumps in less than 24 hours! His 8 points were huge! You cannot forget our newest national champion and both of the All-American honors by our sophomores–Robert and Cody! We nearly cracked the Top 10 with three guys, that is mind-blowing! The future is bright for our program and I am excited!”
The link to all of the results can be found here:
http://www.thenccaa.org/documents/2018/5/11/2018_NCCAA_Championships_Final_Results.pdf?id=2295
Next up is the NAIA National Outdoor Championships in Gulf Shore, AL on May 31-June 2. Robert Herrera, Cody Walker and Adrian Cedillo will be competing in the marathon.
