Track & field standouts set to shine at NCAA DI Nationals in Oregon

Seven members of Liberty University’s men’s and women’s outdoor track & field team — the second most in program history — will compete in the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Wednesday through Friday at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Ayanna Johnson (women’s long jump), Kevin Nedrick (men’s discus), Kennedy Sauder (men’s high jump), and the men’s 4×100 relay squad of Brandon Letts, Donald McClinton, Christian Lyon, and Diamantae Griffin will all be in contention for team points if they can place in the top eight. NCAA DI All-America honors go to the top-16 finishes.

This is the first time Liberty has qualified six men’s athletes for outdoor nationals and its seven total competitors are the most since Liberty sent nine athletes to Austin, Texas, in 2019.

The relay team, which holds the Liberty and ASUN record with a best time of 39.23 seconds, will get things started with a semifinal race on Wednesday at 7:32 p.m. EST. Johnson, who smashed a 38-year program record with a leap of 20 feet, 8 inches at the May 4 Liberty Twilight Qualifier, will compete in the long jump on Thursday at 10 p.m. Friday’s schedule features Sauder in the high jump at 8:30 p.m., Nedrick in the discus at 8:35 p.m., and the men’s 4×100 relay final at 9:02 p.m.

Sauder, who set an ASUN indoor record by clearing 7-4½ to capture the ASUN Championship, currently is in a three-way tie with Matt Parker (2009) and Kyle Wheeler (2012) for Liberty’s outdoor high jump record (7-1).

The men’s 4×100 relay races will be televised live on ESPN2 on Wednesday (semifinals) and Friday (final). Live video streaming coverage of the field events will be available on ESPN3 throughout the meet.

A complete race schedule with updated live results is available online.

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