LUBBOCK, Texas — The Butler women had a top-10 overall finish at the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday at the Texas Tech Sports Performance Center.
Butler, ranked 10th by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association heading into final indoor meet of the season, scored 32 points to finish 10th at the meet. The top-10 placing is the highest indoor national finish for the Grizzlies since placing third back in 2013.
New Mexico took home the first-place hardware with 120 points, 30 points ahead of runner up South Plains (TX). Iowa Central (89), Barton (69) and Central Arizona (66) finished 3-4-5. Butler was the third-best Jayhawk Conference team at the national meet, finishing just behind Cloud County (42, 7th) and Cowley (35, 9th).
The Grizzlies had a pair of fourth-place finishes in the 4x800-meter relay and 200-meter dash events, while the squad medaled in four other events.
Butler's 4x800 relay team of Conangela Senior, Jade Searles, Jeanna Baker and Roshae Burrell took fourth with a time of 9:33.27. The Grizzlies were sitting in fifth before the anchor leg, but moved past Allen County to finish in fourth.
In the 200-meter dash, freshman Charnice Anderson won the first of two heats, crossing the line at 24.02 seconds. Three of the top-four runners ran in the second heat, pushing Anderson to a fourth-place finish.
Sophomore Davia Smith placed fifth in the 400-meter dash, running at 55.24 seconds.
Butler had two placers in the 800-meter dash, as Senior (2:24.57, 6th) and Searles (2:28.00, 8th) both reached the award stand.
The Grizzlies finished the day with an eighth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay, as the team of Reina Ryan, Smith, Anderson and Tashoy Blake finished with a time of 3:51.09.
Next up for the Grizzlies will be the Butch Reynolds Invitational next Friday at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex. The home meet, which kicks off the outdoor season, will be the first of three meets Butler will host. Butler will be home for the Ev Kohls Classic on April 7, as well as the NJCAA National Outdoor Championships on May 17-19.