Johnson City, TN — The Goshen College men’s track and field team took two athletes to this weekend’s 2006 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, looking to grab the program’s first All-American honors since the 2004 season. And while senior Tolu Kayode and junior Jason Young were unable to grasp the coveted award in their respective events, the weekend proved a positive showing according to head coach Rick Clark.

“Any time you can send multiple athletes to compete at the national level, it is an accomplishment in itself,” Clark said. “All of our athletes competed with the efforts in the range they had been in and we were pleased with the efforts our athletes gave us.”

Kayode, making his third appearance in the NAIA’s indoor championships in the past three years, finished with a 15th-place performance in the 35-pound weight throw competition, generating a distance of 53 feet, 1 inch. That mark was just off his recent school-record setting performance of 56 feet, 1 inch, though it was his best performance in national competition to date: In the 2004 championships, Kayode finished 25th overall with a toss of 47 feet, 1 inch; last year, he collected a 17th-place result with a 51 and 1 half inch result. Had Kayode reproduced his school record toss this weekend, he would have finished eighth overall.

“Tolu would have liked to match his record-setting toss this weekend, but he put up numbers near his best,” Clark said. “As a three-time participant, Tolu should be very proud of all he’s accomplished.”

Young, meanwhile, made his first trip to the national championships, qualifying in Goshen’s last available meet for entry into the 400-meter dash in a time of :50.56. And while Young was able to post a clip just shy of that mark on the weekend — Young ran a time of :50.57 — his efforts garnered a 24th-place finish overall in the 27-man field.

“While Jason did not make the finals in his event, he got a taste of what it’s like to compete at this meet,” Clark said. “Hopefully he’ll be able to use this experience in the same way Tolu did from his.”

With just two competitors making the trip for Goshen, the pair failed to generate enough points to warrant a team score in the event. Lindenwood University won the men’s team scoring, finishing with a total 94.5 points on the weekend. For a complete look at individual and team results from the NAIA National Championships, click here. For recaps and general meet information, click here.

Goshen now enters the outdoor portion of its 2006 schedule, as the Leafs’ full team will open the slate on Saturday, Mar. 25 when the team travels to Indiana Wesleyan University to compete in the Polar Bear Invite.