Former MLHS track athlete Kayla Grigg headed to NAIA championship meet
The Indiana Tech women's and men's track team.
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Kayla Grigg, a former Moses Lake track standout and current sophomore at Indiana Institute of Technology in Fort Wayne, Indiana, competed recently at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference indoor track and field championships in Grand Rapids, Michigan on the campus of Aquinas College.
Heading into the meet, Grigg had previously been ranked eighth in the nation in the long jump and most recently, in 15th position. Only athletes with the top 16 marks (distances or times) advance to the national level of competition.
Grigg’s best leap of 5.47 meters (17 feet, 11.5 inches) was a new personal best by two inches, but just shy of reaching the “A” standard of 5.48 meters, which is a “guaranteed” mark to qualify for the championships.
However, her jump moved her up in the overall rankings into a three-way tie for 12th position and earned her a berth in the indoor championship meet.
Kayla took third place in the WHAC championships, earning six points toward the Warriors’ sixth straight indoor conference title while her coach, Doug Edgar, was also named Coach of the Year for the sixth straight year, as well.
Overall scoring for the Tech women’s team was 182, with Sienna Heights finishing second with 147.
Another highlight for the weekend was a fourth straight conference championship for the men’s Warrior team, who ousted Sienna Heights, their closest competitor, 221 to 133.
Griff and her Warrior teammates now turn their attention to the NAIA National Championships, set for March 3-5 in Johnson City, Tennessee.
The Indiana Tech men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams both continue their reign atop the NAIA U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Computer Rankings and are favorites to add yet another national title for their programs and return home to Fort Wayne sporting championship hardware.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) will bring its best track athletes to East Tennessee State University for the 2016 NAIA Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field National Championships. The annual event will take place at the David E. Walker Track at Gentry Field in Johnson City, Tenn. The 2016 national championship is scheduled for March 3–5.