MAY 23 — NAIA Outdoor Nationals: Day Three Recap

Houser Takes Sixth To Earn First Career All American Honor

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EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis (Mo.), eight members of the Maple Leafs Track and Field Team are competing on the largest stage in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

The best of the best from over 300 schools across the United States and Canada have gathered for this week’s NAIA Outdoor National Championships and Goshen is on hand.

Check back daily as the Maple Leafs look to set their mark on the field.

Day Three Recap

Houser Caps Career With First All American Honor

It was a long wait, but senior Abri Houser (Newton, Kans.) finally got her first NAIA All American honor on Saturday.

Along the way, Houser broke seven Goshen College records, won four Mid-Central College Conference Championships, and participated in a total of five NAIA National Championships. Houser has competed at national championships from Fresno (Calif.) to Johnson City (Tenn.), but not until this week - despite several close calls - had the standout reached a event final.

"Each race has been a learning experience," Houser said later. "All the pain and work was worth it."

This time around, Houser twice broke her own school record in the 400-meter hurdles to reach Saturday's national championship final. After entering the week's field seeded 13th with a qualifying time of 1:03.49, Houser ran a 1:03.43 in the prelims and a 1:02.69 in the semifinals.

Knowing she would likely have to shave even more time off her career mark to earn All American status, Houser did just that in St. Louis on Saturday.

As was the case in each of her three runs, Houser used a strong late push as she shaved nearly a full second off her semifinal time for a sixth-place finish of 1:01.88.

Knowing she was in position, but unsure of whether she was able to hold onto the sixth spot, Houser would not look up in the stands for the reaction of her crowd of teammates, coaches, and family.

Instead, she stood and watched the timing board. When "Houser 1:01.88" flashed on the board, a simple grin and fist pump summed up more than a minute-long race. It was the culmination of four years of ups-and-downs, dedication, and hard work.

Abri Houser

Kronk Also Finishes Outstanding Career On Saturday

Another outstanding career came to an end on Saturday as Deanna Kronk (Elkhart, Ind.) competed in the shot put.

The holder of four Goshen College records, Kronk has competed in a total of six NAIA National Championships and was an All American in 2008 in the weight throw.

Earlier in the weekend's event, Kronk posted top 15 finishes in the hammer throw on Thursday and in the discus on Friday. On Saturday, Kronk's best throw measured 40-feet, 11-inches, just less than two feet of the school record she shares with 2002 graduate Ann Christenson.

Women Finish Event 14th Overall

With just six members of the Goshen College women's track and field team participated - as opposed to nearly twenty from powerhouses like Azusa Pacific University - the Maple Leafs still managed to keep their string of top 20 finishes alive with a strong all-around effort.

Goshen tallied 19 teams points as they placed 14th overall among the 158 schools that participated in the event.

Led by All American race walkers Tina Peters (Yellow Springs, Ohio) and Tessa Horst (Dalton, Ohio), the Leafs picked up 14 points in the 2-3 sweep in the 3K event. Houser also scored big with three points in her All American performance in the 400-meter hurdles. Picking up the final point for Goshen was sophomore Peni Acayo (Kampala, Uganda) after she placed seventh in the triple jump.

Harnish Ends Standout Career In 5K

As successful as the Maple Leafs have been on the track, they proved Saturday that their success goes far beyond their competitive events.

The Daktronics-NAIA All American Scholar-Athlete Awards were announced as part of a ceremony at the national championships and an incredible 13 Goshen College student-athletes were honored. Here is the complete list:

Laura Harnish (Flanagan, Ill.)
Tessa Horst (Dalton, Ohio)
Abri Houser (Newton, Kans.)
Krista Nussbaum (Kodiak, Alaska)
Tina Peters (Yellow Springs, Ohio)
Jessica Steihl (Buckeye Lake, Ohio)
Laura Stoesz (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Ben Bouwman (Woodridge, Ill.)
Nick Bouwman (Woodridge, Ill.)
Tyler Keller (Hesston, Kans.)
Kris Miller (Greeley, Colo.)
David Rumsey (Iowa City, Iowa)
Max Wyse (Columbus, Ohio)