SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Taking another step towards qualifying for the NAIA National Championship meet, the Warriors were in Santa Barbara this weekend for the GSAC Indoor Championship.
 
"Both men's and women's teams took a big step forward this weekend in just their second competition of the new season," said Head Coach Jeff Magley, who helped lead several Warriors to new personal bests over the past two weekends.
 
Several members of the Jessup squad took first place in their event, including Jessup's 4x400 meter relay team of Lauren Smith, Alexis Jones, Kyla Danielson, and Rebecca Hardy. The win pushes Jessup's relay team up to No. 11 in the nation, qualifying them for the Indoor National Championships for the second year in a row.
 
The relay time of 3:59.22 was the second-fastest time in Jessup history.
 
 In the 60-meter hurdles, Kyla Danielson took first place with an amazing time of 9.11. Danielson's time sets a new Jessup record, breaking the mark previously set by Danielson just one week prior. She now ranks No. 26 in the country.
 
A familiar face to championship running, Jessup's Bailey Cossentine, took first place in the 3000-meter run with a time of 10:47.49. Cossentine would also finish runner-up in the 5000-meter run.
 
With the top-16 in the country qualifying for the National Championship meet, several Warriors may have their indoor season continue.
 
"For our women's team, this meet was the end of our short Indoor season," added Magley. "We are excited to find out on Tuesday who will be representing the Warriors at the Indoor National Championships in two weeks."
 
Another dominating performance for Jessup came in the throws competition. For the second week in a row, Jacob Richmond took first place in both the weight throw and shot put. Michelle Flint set a new school record in the shot put with a throw of 12.11m.
 
In the jump events, Andrei Matei took first in the high jump, pushing him into the top-five all-time for Jessup. Alec Richmond took first in the long jump, setting a new personal best with a jump of 6.17m.
 
Saturday's meet was a team-scored competition, and in both the men's and women's meet, Jessup took second place.
 
"Whenever we have a team scored meet, our goal as a program is always to put ourselves in the best position possible to compete with the other teams at our highest level," added Magley. "For both our men's and women's team to finish second in the team competition is a great preview for us heading into the rest of the season."
 
The NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championship will take place March 3 – 6 from Yankton, South Dakota. Before that, Jessup will compete at Fresno Pacific University on February 27.
   
William Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on William Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: William Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).