GULF SHORES, Ala. – Three action-packed days in Alabama have come and gone as the 2022 NAIA Track & Field National Championship wrapped up Friday. With three Warriors scheduled to compete today, the action began as soon as the sun met the sky on this eve of Memorial Day weekend.
 
Beginning the day was the highly discussed running of the half marathon. Distance running at the National Championship has been an ally to the Warriors over recent years, as Jessup's Bailey Cossesntine crossed the finish line first in the last two running's of the marathon. But no Jessup threepeat would happen in 2022 as the NAIA elected to cut the marathon in half this year.
 
In the field of distance runners for the 6 a.m. start time were Ryan Hanks and Alejandra Ceja, two seniors running for the final time in royal blue.
 
"It's been a journey for Alejandra and Ryan, with the changes the NAIA made a month ago, going from a full marathon to a half marathon," said head coach Jeff Magley. "I thought they did a great job mentally handling that change. That's a massive change. It's a completely different race, completely different mentality that they have been preparing for since December."
 
Hanks wrapped up the 13.1-mile run with a time of 1:18:11, bringing to an end the best season of his collegiate career. On top of his successes throughout the cross country and track seasons, Hanks was awarded the Jessup Athletics Presidential Medal in 2022, the highest honor issued to a Jessup Student-Athlete.
 
"Ryan ran a smart race," added Magley. "He managed it very well in terms of what his body was capable of today.
 
"From a coach perspective and an athlete perspective, (Hanks) is really content with what his body was capable of doing today. And it was great to see him move up seven places from the first to the second loop."
 
For Ceja, wrapping up her collegiate career as well, the race was one to go out on as she ran the half marathon at a time of 1:33:11. The mark is a new lifetime PR in the event by over a minute. Ceja finished No. 16 in a field of 33 runners.
 
Magley spoke on the performance of Ceja, noting, "It was her first time in this type of environment. She ran very composed, very smart. She never panicked at any point and just continued to move. She ran really well in the last mile. She just ran really well."
 
Next on the docket for the Warriors was the women's discus, set to begin at 1 p.m. over at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium. Competing in the event was Jessup's Jessica Pedretti, making her nationals debut in just her first season with the Warriors.
 
Pedretti placed 20th in a field of 32 athletes. Her top mark on the day was 41.22m (135' 3"), which came in her second throw of the day. It was an improvement of 2.5 meters from Pedretti's opening mark in the competition.
 
"Not the mark we wanted, but she still composed herself well, competed well, and gained really valuable experience being here in her first year at a four-year university," said Magley on Pedretti's showing. "To be at the national championship and get a taste of what it's like to compete against this caliber of field, she didn't have that breakthrough performance, but it was still a solid day for her."
 
In her first year with the Warriors, Pedretti closes the year as an All-Conference thrower and national qualifier. Her final throw of the season was two meters off the PR she set on March 19, which punched her ticket to this event in Gulf Shores.
 
This historic week in Alabama saw Jessup feature seven student-athletes competing at the NAIA National Championship, tied for the highest number in program history.
 
"To have seven national qualifiers, and half of those being first-timers, it was awesome," concluded Magley on the week overall. "This week was a huge experience for Kamil Jones, Alexis Jones, Azalea Prince, and Jessica Pedretti, who are going to return to our program next year and now have national experience under their belts.
 
"Special tribute for our seniors as well. Ryan Hanks, Alejandra Ceja, and Rachel Travis. All three of them getting to the national championships in their senior season, in their final year of eligibility, that's just a special memory that they'll take with them forever."
 
In a week that began with the highlight moment of Rachel Travis earning All-American honors, each event throughout the week saw the program continue to raise the bar of what Jessup is capable of. There is little doubt in any mind that the 2023 season will meet its end in the same place as many before, Alabama.
   
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).