Peters takes third straight Indoor National Title for race walking;
Leafs set three school records, six personal bests at National Championships

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – It's always best to peak at the end of the season when everything is on the line.

A senior-dominated Goshen College track and field team did just that as it smashed three more school records and posted six personal bests at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships in Johnson City, Tenn., March 5-7.

In the process, the Maple Leafs also grabbed another individual national championship as junior Tina Peters (Yellow Springs, Ohio) won her third straight 3,000-meter race walk title. Peters' win helped the Maple Leaf women to their fourth straight top 20 team finish. Goshen ended the event in 16th place – tops among Mid-Central College Conference schools – with nearly 80 schools participating.

Just a junior, Peters already boasts four national titles to her name – three indoor and one outdoor – and is one of the most decorated student-athletes in program history in one of the least decorated events. Peters simply added to her résumé as she "ran" off with the title in a time of 14:58.96. Her mark was 20 seconds faster than her 2008 winning clip and a comfortable 23-second margin ahead of the runner-up.

Peters was nearly joined on the medal stand in the event by two of her teammates participating in their first NAIA Indoor National Championships. With the top six finishers garnishing All American honors, Goshen College seniors Tessa Horst (Dalton, Ohio) and Laura Stoesz (Indianapolis, Ind.) both walked to personal best times as they finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Horst posted a clip of 16:16.45, while Stoesz's final mark was 16:31.05.

As if two personal bests and a national championship were not enough, senior Abri Houser (Newton, Kan.) also made waves at her fourth consecutive indoor championship. Houser broke her own school record in the pentathlon and the 60-meter hurdles over the weekend.

In the pentathlon, Houser finished with a Goshen record 3,157 points to place 11th overall. In the running events – Houser's specialty – the senior placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles (9.15) and fifth in the 800 meters (2:24.00).

The former Kansas High School State Champion was not done, however. Seeded 12th in a highly-competitive field of 36 in the 60-meter hurdles, Houser ran a 9.17 in the preliminaries. Her mark gave her the ninth quickest clip and sent her into the semifinals. With six events/races already in the books in just over 24 hours, Houser finally slowed down a bit as she placed 12th in the semis with a time of 9.36.

Two more seniors were in action for the Maple Leaf women as Deanna Kronk (Elkhart, Ind.) competed in the shot put and weight throw, while Laura Harnish (Flanagan, Ill.) ran the 3,000 meters. Kronk's first toss in the weight throw ended up being her best as she launched the 20-pound weight 49-feet, 11-inches. Her mark placed her 18th one season after earning All American honors in the event. In the shot put, it was Kronk's third and final throw (40' 10 1/2") that netted her 15th place out of 32 competitors.

Harnish placed 27th in the final indoor event of her career with a clip of 10:54.22 in the 3K. Also competing in Tennessee was sophomore Peni Acayo (Kampala, Uganda). The school record holder in the triple jump – both indoor and outdoor – Acayo finished 19th with a jump of 35-feet, 1-inch on her first attempt.

On the men's side, a pair of spectacular performances ended just short of All American honors in the distance events. After being part of three new school records during the regular season, senior Sam Chege (Nairobi, Kenya) shaved time off another mark on Saturday.

After cruising to a second-place finish in his preliminary heat, Chege ran to a clip of 1:54.40 in the 800-meter final. While the time cut more than a second of his own school record, Chege was just nipped at the finish line as he took seventh place. The senior finished just 0.21 seconds out of All American position and less than four seconds behind the national championship pace.

Teammate and fellow senior David Rumsey (Iowa City, Iowa) has been improving steadily over the past four meets, breaking his personal best each time out in the mile run. His last event – the Boilermaker Invitational – earned him his first appearance at a national event. He again improved his time in each race. The senior ran to a clip of 4:20.79 in the prelims to qualify for Saturday's final. He then posted a 4:20.16, which placed him ninth, less than four seconds off the medal stand.

With another outstanding showing at the NAIA Indoor National Championships behind them, the entire Maple Leafs squad will now prepare for the outdoor season.

– By Josh Gleason, Goshen College Sports Information Director

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Sports Information Director Josh Gleason at (574) 535-7497 or joshag@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.