PREVIEW: Lakehawk Track & Field Travels to NJCAA Championships
LUBBOCK, Tex. (Track & Field) – The Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC) men's and women's track & field teams travel to Lubbock, Tex. for the 2025 NJCAA Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships hosted at The Sports Performance Center on Friday Mar. 7 and Saturday Mar. 8.
A total of seven Lakehawks set out to compete at nationals, five from the men's team and two from the women's team. These seven student-athletes will be the first in program history to compete on the national stage.
Spencer Palmer was the first Lakehawk to qualify by time for nationals. Palmer will compete in the 800m after logging a time of 1:55.33 in the 800m at the Celebration Pointe Classic.
Palmer holds the top-two 800m times in the Lakehawk record book and anticipating to ink his name one more time for the 2025 indoor season.
Palmer, William Petersen, Thatcher Clarke, and Kenyon Wells will compete in the men's 4x800m after qualifying by time as individuals throughout the indoor season.
Petersen will join Palmer in the 800m finals. In the regular season, he recorded a personal best of 1:59.26 at the Celebration Point Classic.
Wells' second event of the championship will be the 400m. His personal best, also a program record, in the event was 50.56, which he ran earlier in the season at the RADD Sports Invitational.
Devonte Hanson is set to compete in the Long Jump at nationals. His best mark of 6.94m was achieved on Feb. 1 at the Legends of Alachua County Invitational.
Jaden Miller will compete in the Long Jump and the Triple Jump, as the first Lakehawk from the women's team to compete at the national level in jumping events. After being named the NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week on Jan. 22, she has improved her performance marks each week of the season since.
The final Lakehawk taking on the NJCAA Championships this week will be Oksanna Smith competing in the 400m. Smith holds the top-four spots in the Lakehawk record book with a personal best time of 1:00.74.
Head Coach Cristy Snellgroves shared her thoughts on the team's success leading up to nationals, "I am incredibly proud of this team for qualifying to run at nationals competing at the Division I level. Their dedication, resilience, and commitment to excellence have set the foundation for something truly special."
"To achieve this (trip to nationals) is a testament to their hard work and belief in themselves. The best is yet to come," said Coach Snellgroves.
Below is the schedule of events the Lakehawk Track & Field team will be competing in:
Men's Long Jump – Friday, 2:30 p.m.
Women's Long Jump – Friday, 5:30 p.m.
Men's 800m – Friday, 6:20 p.m.
Women's Triple Jump – Saturday, 11:00 a.m.
Men's 4x800m – Saturday, 12:45 p.m.
Women's 400m – Saturday, 2:35 p.m.
Men's 400m – Saturday, 2:45 p.m.
For more information about the championship, visit the NJCAA Championship Central here.
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