PITTSBURG, Kan. – Running in the prestigious Crimson & Gold Invitational hosted by Pittsburg State at the Robert W. Plaster Center, a meet that primarily features NCAA Division I and II competitors, it did not take long for freshman Jaden Rodriguez to make his mark as the MACU Track & Field's first ever competitor to qualify for the NCCAA National Championships in both the Mile Run and 800-Meter Run.
Rodriguez opened the day by competing in the Mile event in the afternoon and finished 30th of 59 runners in the event, crossing the finish line in 4:29.35. The mark surpassed the NCCAA National Championship qualifying mark of 4:33 by nearly four seconds.
In the evening, the Blanchard, Oklahoma native ran in the 800-meter event and once again, he set an NCCAA Championship qualifying mark by finishing with a 2:01.05, getting just under the necessary 2:02 qualifying mark and placing 34th out of 55 runners in the event.
Mid-America Christian will continue its indoor season following the Christmas break as the Evangels will compete in the Graduate Classic hosted by the University of Nebraska from Jan. 17-18.
