The NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships have concluded with Dillard athletes finishing in the top three events.
Kevell Byrd’s spectacular collegiate career ended with two top-three finishes in the women’s 100m and 200m dash finals.
She clocked in at 11.59 seconds in the 100m final, putting her in third place among the field. Later, she finished second in the 200m final with a time of 23.51 seconds.
Byrd becomes the first HBCU women’s athlete to finish in the top three of the 100m and 200m final at the NAIA Outdoor Championships since Kimone Hinds of Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) did so in 2019.
In addition to this being the first time she has made it to the finals of the 100m at the NAIA Outdoor Championships, thereby being her first podium finish in the event, it also marks her best finish in the 200m final.
Byrd had qualified for the 200m finals at the past three NAIA Outdoor Championships, with her best finish coming in 2023 when she placed fifth among the field.
Dillard also claimed a top-three finish in the men’s 4×400 relay final, placing third after clocking in a season-best time of 3:11.86.
This is the best finish for Dillard in men’s 4×400 relay finals at the NAIA Outdoor Championships after having advanced to the finals in the past three years (placed seventh, ninth, and eighth in those respective appearances).
They also became the first HBCU men’s 4×400 relay team to finish in the top three since Wiley claimed the national title in 2018.
