JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- Day 2 of the annual 3-day NAIA track & field championship meet can be a day of separation, but more often than not, it’s simply a day of positioning.

Such was the case for the Azusa Pacific men’s and women’s teams at the 44th Annual NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championship Meet in the Minidome on the campus of East Tennessee State University. As Cougar men’s coach Kevin Reids often says on this day of the championship meet, “We had some good, and some bad, but more good than bad.”

The Cougar women continue to lead after 2 days of competition, relying on the 12 points they tallied yesterday in the pentathlon to stay at the top of the heap in a tie with Oklahoma Baptist University.

The Cougar men are in third with 13.5 points, just 7.5 points behind day-2 frontrunner Langston University.

The men picked up a surprising 12 points during the second-day completion of the heptathlon. Sophomores Casey Stevick and Jeff Altizer each posted career-best scores, Stevick tallying 5,141 to finish second and Altizer with 4,927, nearly 300 points better than his previous best, to rally from ninth, where she started the day, and finish fourth overall. Altizer posted 4 personal-records, including one in his specialty, the pole vault where he cleared 15’ 7”, 6 inches better than his previous best.

With another strong showing on the national level, Stevick established himself and the NAIA’s top up-and-comer in the multi-events. He registered 5 personal bests during the heptathlon, which included a very fine 8.46 in the 60-meter hurdles.

The Cougars’ other point-and-a-half came from junior Staphon Arnold’s tie for fifth-place in the high jump at 6’ 8¾”. It was the third straight indoor All-America honor for Arnold, who was hoping to press for a 7-foot clearance but got out of rhythm after his first 3 clearances and never regained his confidence.

The remaining Cougar men completed preliminary heats in their specialties. As expected, NAIA champion Aron Rono moved into the finals of the mile and 3000 meters by winning his heats in each event.

Senior Anthony Logan clocked a personal record to win his 600 meters (1:19.09) heat, and sophomore Rocky Richardson garnered the last spot in the 800-meter (1:54.44) finals.

Competing in only his second track & field meet ever, freshman Abednego Mugat punched his ticket for the 5000-meter finals with a 15:12.28.

Azusa Pacific, which is the 2-time defending NAIA champ in the distance medley relay, cruised to the prelim best 10:05.63 on the legs of Garrett Zambrow, Kyle Clark, John Pfiel and Rono.

The Cougars took hits in the 60-meter hurdles, where freshman Cedrique Smith got off to a great start and then clipped the third hurdle which eventually cost him a spot in the semis, and the 1000 meters where Zambrows missed the finals by more than a second.

“We were expecting a lot from Cedrique in the hurdles,” said Reid, “and he was looking really good until he banged into that hurdle. However, Altizer’s finish in the heptathlon was a huge bonus so it all balanced out in the end.”

Azusa Pacific is primed to make a strong run at the national championship during Saturday’s final day of competition. Dickinson State University (N.D.) appears to be the Cougars’ greatest threat for the title.

The Cougar women did not score in their only finals event of the day – the long jump. Senior Zora Golcevska (17’ 8¼”) and freshman Mercedes Arnold (17’ 0”) were well back of the pack and missed the finals of 8 competitors by several inches.

Otherwise, the women enjoyed a solid day in which nearly every Cougar possible moved on to Saturday’s finals.

Golcevska and Tiffeny Parker used season PRs to post the best times in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.81 and 8.85, respectively.

Jaime Canterbury (5:08.73) and Jacky Kipwambok (5:05.50) easily moved into the finals of the mile, and Canterbury used a pedestrian-like effort to win her heat of the 3000 (10:20.16) and clinch a spot in the finals

The Cougar 4x400-meter relay of Alyssa Shury, Emily Nash, Becca Reyes and Mandy Ross recorded a season-best 3:54.44 to punch their way into the finals.

Reyes also clocked a personal-best 2:57.49 to make it to the 1000-meter finals, and Ross registered a season-best 56.73 to move on the 400 meters.

The NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championship Meet concludes Saturday with all finals events. To follow the meet and the Cougars’ race for a title, click here.