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GOSHEN, Ind. – Talk about a day worth remembering!
Coming into this weekend's Mid-Central Conference Championships already qualified for NAIA Outdoor Nationals in her best event – the 100-meter hurdles – the pressure was relatively low on junior Abri Houser.
As a compeititor, Houser wanted to perform well for herself and her team, but had little to prove as she was already the current Goshen College record holder in both the 100 and 400 hurdle events. Houser, from Newton, Kansas, had other things in mind.
The junior ended Saturday's events in historic fashion with victories in both races, NAIA national qualifying marks in each, and a combined five new records.
After earning the top qualifying time in the 100-meter hurdle prelims, Houser literally ran away in the finals. With a time of 14.81 seconds, she finished nearly three-quarters of a second ahead of the rest of the field.
Her time bested her own Goshen College and MCC record of 14.98 she set at the MCC Championships last year as a sophomore (click here for related article). The time also set a new standard for the Eigsti Track and Field Complex. Again, it was breaking her own mark of 15.44 seconds, set at the 2006 Goshen Invitational (click here for related article).
Just an hour after setting three new records, the former Kansas state high school champion was at it again. Starting a little slow in the 400-meter event, Houser turned it own as she came around the final turn. The junior used a strong push in the final 100 meters to pass the field and was able to hold off Indiana Wesleyan University's Katelin Morgan for another win.
Houser's time of 1:04.43 was yet another record-setting performance in her already storied career. She broke her own Goshen College record of 1:05.76, while also besting the track record of 1:06.92 set by Jill Theobald of Carthage College in 2000. Her time also hit the automatic qualifying mark for the NAIA National Championships and was just one-tenth of a second off the MCC record.
Already earning 10 points for Goshen in each of her individual events, Houser also helped the Leafs to a fourth-place finish in the 4x100 relay before anchoring the fourth-place 4x400 relay team to finish the day.
Houser seems to be peaking at just the right time and will hope to take that momentum into the May 22-24 NAIA Nationals in St. Louis. While Houser would love to cap off her junior season with All American honors, Saturday will not be a day she soon forgets. |
