JOLIET, Ill. – Grace College’s men’s 4x800-meter relay team headlined the team’s efforts at the NCCAA Outdoor National Championships over the weekend. The quartet of Jonathan Rex, Lance Taylor, Ben Drew and Donovan Graham earned NCCAA All-American status with a second-place showing. Graham anchored the relay with a split of 1:54.7. Overall, Grace’s men’s competitors finished 11th out of 28 teams at the NCCAA Nationals. Grace started its competition on Friday with a number of highlights. Apart from the men’s sterling 4x800 relay performance on Friday, Seth Booker claimed a school record in the 110 hurdles preliminary race when he finished in 15.45 seconds. Nathan Brown (seventh place) and Sabrina Whitaker (eighth) each placed for Grace in their respective high jump events. The Lancers continued to set personal-bests on Saturday as the national meet continued. Lance Taylor posted a season-best time of 48.93 in the 400 event to finish fourth in the final heat. Graham placed fifth in the 800 race at 1:56.79, and Booker finished seventh in the 110 hurdles finals. Jenna McClellan posted a personal record in a competitive 1500 race when she crossed the finish line in 4:56.68, and Brown earned a top-10 showing in the long jump (21-6.75) when he placed ninth. “With the level of competition this weekend, I’m extremely pleased that our guys were able to place in five events,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond. “A 10th-place finish out of 28 teams is a satisfying accomplishment. Although the women scored in just one event, we had a couple season-best performances which is all we can ask for.” The Lancers will send the men’s outstanding 4x800 relay team to NAIA Outdoor Nationals in the final competition of the season. The foursome of Rex, Taylor, Drew and Graham will hope to replicate their NAIA Indoor Nationals performance in February when they smashed the school record by six seconds. The meet will be held at Indiana Wesleyan University from May 22-25.
