AZUSA, Calif. – The accent of Azusa Pacific’s distance program has not only been quick but rather monumental as well, particularly in light of today’s Last Chance Qualifier hosted Azusa Pacific and that featured the teams from Fresno Pacific, Vanguard, Concordia and Cal State San Marcos. Following today’s meet, no less than 14 Cougar distance runners (9 women and 5 men) have automatically qualified for 28 spots (17 women, 11 men) in the upcoming NAIA Indoor Championship Meet (March 6-8) in events ranging from the 600 meters to the 3,000 meters.

There’s no doubt Azusa Pacific will well represented at the NAIA championships, it’s just a matter of where Cougar coaches Kevin Reid, Mike Barnett and Bill Reeves will place the athletes.

For instance, today 8 different Cougars punched their ticket for the NAIA 800 meters, led by sophomore Brianna Carstensen’s 2:15.73. However, Carstensen already has the NAIA’s top time this season in the mile and is second in the 1000 meters. She won’t be able to run all 3 events, especially since she could run key legs on the Cougars’ 4x800 and distance medley relays. Fellow teammate Christine Krause is in a similar predicament. She currently has the NAIA’s third-best time in the 1000 and fourth best in the mile, and like Carstensen, today she qualified for the 800 with a 2:18.52.

Indeed, it’s a pleasant problem of which all coaches dream.

The answer may be found in the performances of such people as junior Lisette Saucedo, who today ran a 7-second PR in the 800 and now with a 2:15.87 has the third fastest half mile in the NAIA this season. Another solution in the 800 may be found in Marissa Reeber who clocked a 2:18.52 in the 800. Combined with Saucedo, Reeber’s emergence in the 800 could allow the likes of Carstensen and Krause to go after victory in the 1000 at the NAIA meet while giving providing plenty of points for Azusa Pacific in the 800.

On the men’s side, Tim Ramirez and Micah Strom continue to get stronger each week. Ramirez clocked the best 1000 in the NAIA this season with a 2:25.62. Strom solidified his spot among the ten in the NAIA with a 1:56.22 in the 800 followed by a PR 2:29.28 in the 1000, the fourth fastest time in the NAIA this year.

And then there is sprinter Nate Farris, who already has NAIA top 4 times this season in the 200 and 400, and yet today ran his first-ever 600 an produced the NAIA’s best electronic time of the season, a whistling 1:20.01.

Cross country All-American Brian Wardell and freshman Kevin Lindsey earned automatic spots for the NAIA Indoor Championship with a 2:28.72 and 2:30.79, respectively, in the 1000.

Not to be left behind in the wake of the distance runners, the Cougar field athletes put together some fine performances as well, and none may have been more surprising then A.J. Hansen, who automatically qualified for the NAIA indoor meet with a throw of 51-11 ¾ in the 35-pound weight. Junior Ben Buys hit the provisional mark in the triple jump with a leap of 44-0.

The Cougars weren’t done when the sun set on the meet either. Later in the night, senior Dominique DeGrammont blazed a 7.28 in the 55-meter hurdles in the Los Angeles Invitational at the Sports Arena. He continues to maintain the second-best time in the NAIA this year and in the process closes the gap on Central State’s (Ohio) Ricardo Melbourne, who has a 7.20 to his credit this year.

The Cougars travel to Claremont-Mudd next week for the Rossi Relays on Saturday (Feb. 22). It’s their final meet for the NAIA Indoor Championship Meet in Johnson City, Tenn.