SEWARD, Neb. -- With less than two weeks until they depart for nationals, the Bismarck State Track and Field team had one last chance to post NAIA qualifying standard marks and bolster their squad for Asheville. Friday's meet, hosted by Concordia (Neb.), provided the wind-legal conditions the Mystics needed to hit those marks.

Alexia Anderson was the first to take advantage as she leaped further than she had all season in the long jump, hitting the NAIA 'B' qualifying standard. She won the event with a school-record 5.86-meter jump, tied for the 13th-best mark in the NAIA. Anderson also finished sixth in the triple jump with a mark of 11.35 meters. 

The women's 4x400-meter relay, consisting of Aisha Zaffino, Aliya Schock, Brookyln Fuller and Tsitsi Karanda, a team that made indoor nationals, hit NAIA 'B' qualifying standard also with an event-winning time of 3:52.07, a new school record and the 21st-best time in the NAIA. The men's 4x400 immediately followed suit as their team of Nathan Mathern, Xavier Bell, Timol Walters and Cayden Kraft posted an NAIA 'A' automatic qualifying time of 3:12.74 to finish fourth and record the 12th-fastest time in the NAIA.

In addition to the qualifying marks, the Mystics' other events were just as impressive. In the 100-meter dash, Priviledge Bower and Markita Wiggins finished second and third in the finals, respectively, as Bower just missed besting last weekend's school record and qualifying time (11.80) as she ran an 11.86. Wiggins posted her fastest wind-legal time of the season with a time of 12.34 seconds.

Dedra Wood had her best day in the 100-meter hurdles, running a wind-legal school record in the qualifying heats with a time of 14.25, just missing NAIA 'B' Standard by six-hundredths of a second (14.19). She ran a 14.34 in the finals to secure third place at the meet. 

Finally, the women's 4x100-meter relay, which hit their national qualifying mark of 46.88 at the Al Bortke Classic on April 12, improved upon their previous best as the team of Zaffino, Bower, Schock and Anderson set a new school record with a time of 46.77 seconds, breaking their own school record with what is now the 18th-fastest time in the NAIA.
 

Event	Round	Place	Athlete(s)	Result	Notes
Women 100m	Prelims	3	Priviledge Bower	12.06q	1.1 m/s • H2 • Yr: SO
Women 100m	Prelims	4	Markita Wiggins	12.45q	1.1 m/s • H2 • Yr: FR
Women 100m	Finals	2	Priviledge Bower	11.83	2.7 m/s • H1 • Yr: SO
Women 100m	Finals	3	Markita Wiggins	12.34	2.7 m/s • H1 • Yr: FR
Women 100m Hurdles	Prelims	3	Dedra Wood	14.25q	1.7 m/s • H2 • Yr: SO
Women 100m Hurdles	Finals	3	Dedra Wood	14.58	-2.3 m/s • H1 • Yr: SO
Women Long Jump	Finals	1	Alexia Anderson	5.86m (19-02.75)	2.7 m/s • F1 • Yr: JR
Women Triple Jump	Finals	6	Alexia Anderson	11.35m (37-03.00)	+0.0 m/s • F1 • Yr: JR
Women 4x100m Relay	Finals	2	A. Zaffino, P. Bower, A. Schock, A. Anderson	46.77	NAIA Auto • H1
Men 4x400m Relay	Finals	4	N. Mathern, X. Bell, T. Walters, C. Kraft	3:12.74	NAIA Auto • H1
Women 4x400m Relay	Finals	1	A. Zaffino, A. Schock, B. Fuller, T. Karanda	3:52.07	NAIA Auto • H1

Down to their last meet, the Mystics came through when it mattered and now await the official national qualifiers list for the NAIA national office for the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Mystics currently have 11 athletes who have hit NAIA qualifying marks across eight events that they hope to send to the three-day national in Asheville, N.C., on May 20-22.


Qualifiers: 
 

Event	Qualifying Standard	Athlete(s) / Team	Team	Mark / Time	Wind	Qualification
Women 100 Meters	NAIA A: 11.65 • NAIA B: 11.85	Priviledge Bower	Bismarck State	11.80	3.7	NAIA B
Women 200 Meters	NAIA A: 23.90 • NAIA B: 24.49	Priviledge Bower	Bismarck State	23.97	0.7	NAIA B
Men 400 Meters	NAIA A: 47.16 • NAIA B: 47.57	Nathan Mathern	Bismarck State	46.43	—	NAIA A / B
Men 400 Meters	NAIA A: 47.16 • NAIA B: 47.57	Cayden Kraft	Bismarck State	46.79	—	NAIA A / B
Women 4x100 Relay	NAIA A: 46.36 • NAIA B: 47.30	Zaffino, Bower, Schock, Anderson	Bismarck State	46.77	—	NAIA B
Men 4x400 Relay	NAIA A: 3:13.00 • NAIA B: 3:15.00	Mathern, Bell, Walters, Kraft	Bismarck State	3:12.74	—	NAIA A / B
Women 4x400 Relay	NAIA A: 3:49.00 • NAIA B: 3:53.00	Zaffino, Schock, Fuller, Karanda	Bismarck State	3:52.07	—	NAIA B
Women Long Jump	NAIA A: 5.93m • NAIA B: 5.78m	Alexia Anderson	Bismarck State	5.86m (19' 2.75")	2.7	NAIA B
Women Triple Jump	NAIA A: 12.03m • NAIA B: 11.72m	Kennedy Harter	Bismarck State	12.08m (39' 7.75")	3.0	NAIA A / B

 

Check the full schedule for all the latest details and coverage.
 

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