TF Nationals

Fresno, CA- Houghton College sent their largest group of athletes to the 2007 NAIA Outdoor Track National Championships May 24-26, 2007. The Highlanders walked away with one All-American, Rachel Rhodes (Jr. Salamanca, NY) who finished third in the 3K Race walk with a time of 15:26.12. This is the second time earning the honor and fifth appearance at the national level.

400m hurdler Steve Scott (So.) made his first appearance at the national level and qualified for the semi-finals with a personal best 54.47 in the prelims. Competing in the semi-finals he raced well with a finishing time of 54.84, but was unable to earn a spot in Saturday’s finals. Scott's prelim time also improved his hold on the Houghton College's school record in the 400m hurdles.

The 4x800m relay team of Dan Ballard (So.), Chad Stauring (So.), Josiah Snelgrove (Jr.), and Ryan Fadden (Sr.) sought to earn their spot on the podium after a record-breaking run at the AMC regional meet. In an unfortunate turn of events, Dan Ballard (running the first leg of the relay) took a fall with 200m to go. He was able to finish and hand off the baton, but the team was unable to make up the ground and get back in the race.

Kaity Fadden (Fr) competed in her first national meet running in the 10k. She came into the event ranked 22 out of 22 and finished 17th overall.

Naomi Christensen (Jr.) competed in the 400m dash, running strong after overcoming a season long injury but was unable to qualify for Saturday’s finals.

Michael Platt (Jr.) rounded out Houghton’s performances as the Highlander’s first competitor in the marathon. Finishing 24th out of a field of 51 he posted a time of 2:40:46.93, an excellent finish for the first time marathoner and national competitor.

Houghton College has deep and solid roots in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, where our teams use their commitment to excellence, both on the field-of-play and in the classroom, as a platform for their strong and unique emphasis on Sports Ministry. Their goal is to make a difference for the Kingdom on campus, in Allegany County, in the Northeast and around the world. Houghton is one of only 13 institutions who have been hand-selected by the NAIA to serve as "Champions of Character" Program Centers, opening the door for Houghton to be a leader, both in the Northeast and nationally, in character education. Through hands-on, innovative community outreach initiatives, Houghton coaches and student-athletes are working together to change the culture of sport and to change our culture through sport.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- May 30, 2007 CONTACT: Glyn Turner 585,567,9648

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- May 30, 2007
CONTACT: Glyn Turner 585,567,9648