On the second day of the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, one of the top HBCU sprinters qualified for her second event final.
Dillard’s Kevell Byrd kept her hopes of a championship double alive, qualifying for the women’s 100m final after running an 11.81 in the preliminary round.
Yesterday, Byrd advanced to the finals of the 200m, winning her heat in a time of 23.96 seconds.
This makes her the first HBCU women’s athlete to advance to the finals of the 100m and 200m at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships since Denai Wilson of Florida Memorial did so in 2023.
Byrd is looking to become the first NAIA women’s athlete to sweep the 100m and 200m finals since 2022.
Elsewhere, Dillard advanced to the finals of the men’s 4×400 relay after clocking in a 3:14.78 time. This is the fourth straight year Dillard will participate in the finals of the men’s 4×400 relay.
They are looking to improve on their performance last season, in which they had their best finish, coming in seventh out of nine teams in the finals.
The field events saw Xavier University of Louisiana’s Ovane Williams help garner the team 0.33 points after tying for eighth in the high jump, peaking at a 1.96m jump.
Voorhees’ Jayden Burris placed just outside of the top eight in the long jump, falling short of awarding his team points toward their overall total in a ninth-place finish.
HBCU NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championship Finalists
Kevell Byrd, Dillard: Women’s 100m, 200m
Xavier University of Louisiana: Women’s 4×100 Relay
Jaheene Bell, Xavier University of Louisiana: Men’s 400 hurdles
Dillard: Men’s 4×400 Relay
To watch the final day of the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships live, go to NAIAnetwork.com.
