After four exciting days of competition, the NCAA D2 Outdoor Championships came to a close Saturday in Allendale, Michigan with standout performances from all corners of the track. Here are some of the top moments from the NCAA D2 Outdoor Championships weekend:

 

1. Tabor Stevens Wins Third Consecutive Steeplechase Title, Returns to Win 5K

Adams State’s steeplechase phenom pulled off one of the most difficult doubles of the meet after winning the steeplechase title for the third consecutive time in his career and returning to take the 5K victory. Stevens won the steeple in 8:44.40, four seconds ahead of runner-up Alex McGuirk of Chico State. Earlier in the season, Stevens clocked a personal best mark of 8:26.81 at the Payton Jordan Invitational, making the Adams State senior the third-fastest steeplechaser in the U.S. this year and No. 24 on the world list. 

ICYMI: On Friday, senior Tabor Stevens successfully defended his 3000 meter steeplechase crown! pic.twitter.com/0zAkETc00f

— ASU Grizzlies (@ASUGrizzlies) May 24, 2015

Stevens came back after crushing the steeple competition to earn another NCAA title in the 5K with a winning time of 14:14, four seconds ahead of Southern Indiana’s Tyler Pence. In total, Stevens earned 20 points for his Adams State squad, which contributed to a fifth-place overall team finish. 

 

2. Salcia Slack Earns 30.25 Points To Help New Mexico Highlands Finish Third

The senior multi-event standout made her mark on all corners of the track in Allendale with her fourth national championship in the heptathlon and top performances in several other open events. Slack started the heptathlon competition with wins in three of the four events after day one. On day two, Slack won both the long jump and javelin competition and closed with a third-place finish in the 800m to earn a total winning score of 5691 points. 

 

She returned the next day to finish runner-up in both the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles, and captured 10th and 15th place finishes in the triple jump and shot put, respectively. Slack’s performances helped her New Mexico Highlands squad to a third-place team finish. 
 

3. St. Augustine Men Take Third Consecutive Team Title

 

Under the guidance of Head Coach George Williams, the Falcons captured the third consecutive men’s national crown. The victory gives Williams the most NCAA track and field championships as a coach, regardless of division. The sprint powerhouse squad captured the title with 53 points, just three points over runner-up Findlay. A large chunk of those points were earned from the men’s 400m competition where the Falcons scored a total of 19 points led by Omar Johnson’s victory, Khari Herbert, Jr.’s third place finish, and Burkheart Ellis, Jr.’s sixth-place finish. 

 

4. Lindsey Butterworth Wins Second Consecutive D2 800m Title, No. 2 All-Time in D2

 

Lindsey Butterworth capped off her college career at Simon Fraser with a national title after running 2:02.88 in the women’s 800m, just four-tenths off of the 25-year old championship meet record. Butterworth completed the victory with a two-second personal best from her 2:04 at Payton Jordan. The performance marked Butterworth’s second national title of her career after winning the NCAA D2 Indoor Championship in March. 

 

5. Drew Windle Earns Sixth NCAA D2 800m Title

The Ashland middle-distance standout solidified his place in D2 history after capturing his sixth consecutive 800m title of his career. Windle crossed the finish line on Saturday with a winning time of 1:48.89, bringing the senior’s illustrious career to a close. It was a career that included three NCAA D2 indoor titles and three outdoor titles. So far this season, Windle has captured a season’s best mark of 1:47.80, good enough for a USATF “A” standard mark. After another D2 national title, Windle looks forward to competing at the Portland Track Festival as well as the USATF Outdoor Championships. 

 

6. Sister Act of Emily and Molly Oren Go 1-3 in Steeplechase

Hillsdale junior Emily Oren rocked the steeplechase competition with a 9:54.43 winning time, a full 19 seconds ahead of runner-up Katelyn Steen. Her younger sister Molly followed in third place with a 15-second personal best mark of 10:16, totaling 16 points for the Hillsdale women’s track squad. The performance marked Emily’s first NCAA D2 championship, captured in a time that was less than a half second off the D2 meet record. 

 

Emily returned for Saturday’s competition with another victory in the 5K race, winning the event in 16:36, seven seconds ahead of runner-up Kendra Foley. 

 

7. Oliver Aitchison Captures First 1500m National Title

The Adams State redshirt sophomore earned his first outdoor title in the 1500m with a mark of 3:45.92, nearly two seconds ahead of runner-up Chase Rathke of Tarleton State. Earlier in the season, Aitchison ran a personal best of 3:40 at the Payton Jordan Invitational, which would rank in the top 15 marks in Division 1 this season. 

 

Aitchison returned later in the day to take seventh overall in the 800m with a time of 1:50.87, contributing to Adams State’s fifth-place team finish. 

 

8. Staci Foster Wins Second Consecutive National Title in 1500m

In dominating fashion, former Colorado standout Staci Foster captured the victory in the women’s 1500m with a winning time of 4:19, two seconds faster than her previous personal best and another improvement on her own Azusa Pacific school record. After winning the NCAA D2 Indoor mile title in March, the victory was icing on the cake for the graduating senior. 

 

Foster led the majority of the race Saturday in Allendale, setting the pace early and closing hard to finish two seconds ahead of runner-up Eva Zaborowska. Foster returned just two hours later to compete in the women’s 5K and finish 18th overall. 

 

9. Allison Updike Breaks NCAA D2 Javelin Record Twice in One Day

The Azusa Pacific standout first broke the D2 record in the preliminaries of the javelin competition with an initial throw of 52.24m, and followed the stellar performance with a huge improvement mark of 55.43m. Updike surpassed favored competitor Estefania Lopez, who broke the meet record in her first throw. Updike’s winning mark of 55.43m moves her up to 11th on the U.S. national performance list. 

 

10. Southern Indiana’s Tyler Pence, Johnnie and Josh Guy Score 21 Points in 10K

The 10K powerhouse squad of Tyler Pence, Johnnie and Josh Guy of Southern Indiana came to throw down on the first day of competition in Allendale. Pence took the individual title in a winning time of 29:42 and was followed by teammate Guy in second (29:52). Guy’s younger brother Josh closed hard for sixth overall (30:15) to rack up 21 total points for the Southern Indiana team. Pence and Johnnie returned for more action in the 5K, following the 10K performance with a runner-up finish and a fifth-place finish, respectively.