GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The College of Idaho men's and women's distance medley relay teams punched their tickets to the finals at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday, with the women's squad capturing a heat victory and the men's team securing a spot in a highly competitive field.
The women's team of Julia Gilbert, Charlotte Bowman, Kylee Quinton, and Kahea Figueira earned an automatic qualification after winning Heat 2 with a time of 11:59.61, becoming one of only two teams to break 12 minutes in the preliminaries. Seeded at 12:12 entering the meet, the squad outperformed expectations and will head into Saturday's final as the No. 2 seed. The top three teams from each heat, along with the next four fastest squads, advanced to the championship race.
On the men's side, the quartet of Oclan Ryan, Trevor Treat, Madden Ryan, and Daniel Butler secured the 10th and final qualifying spot. The Yotes placed fourth in Heat 2, the fastest of the three preliminary sections, which produced the top overall seed and saw four teams advance. The men's qualification format allowed for the top two teams from each heat and the next four fastest times to move on.
Both relay teams will return to action on Saturday, aiming for national titles at the Alachua County Sports & Events Center.
