Tiffin University will once again be well represented at the NCAA Division II National Outdoor Track and Field Championships, sending 14 athletes to the event May 23-25 at Kingsville, Texas.
The Dragons, who have finished third at the national outdoor meet in each of the last two seasons, will compete in 10 separate events. The Dragons have the most competitors in the shot put, where Nikolas Curtiss comes in as the 5th seed with a mark of 18.53. Jabari Bennett is 11th at 18.03 and Eric Jackson is 21st with 17.47. Jackson also qualified in the discus with a toss of 54.52, good for the 11th seed.
Jonte Baker is the only other Dragon to qualify in two events. He is the 9th seed in the 100 meters with a time of 10.33, while also making up part of the 4x100 relay squad along with Tajarie Arthurton, Zion Cross, and Elijah Gauldin. They are also seeded 9th with a time of 40.48.
TU also has multiple entrants in the hammer throw. Tristen Durr is seeded 7th with 64.76 meters, while Toryko Grace is 18th with 60.42.
Other qualifiers include Lamar Hargrove in the 200 in 20.95 (17th), Errik Snell in the 110 hurdles in 14.13 (15th), Cameron Burrows in the high jump with 2.15 meters (3rd), Davis Bowers in the pole vault with 5.10m (11th), and Quincy Scott in the long jump with 7.47m (18th).
Tiffin University's men's track and field program currently boasts the longest active trophy streak in the nation.
With a third place finish at the recent NCAA Division II Indoor Track Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas, the Dragons have finished third or better in seven consecutive national championship competitions counting both indoor and outdoor track. That is the NCAA's longest current streak regardless of division in the nation.
Besides the 2019 Indoor finish of third, the Dragons won indoor national titles in 2016 and 2017 while also adding a second place finish in 2018. They also finished third in the 2017 and 2018 outdoor national championships while also taking 2nd in 2016.
Over that three-year period, the Dragons have amassed 86 total All American honors.
They have also produced seven individual national champions. Coy Blair was indoor national champ in the shot put and weight throw in 2017 while also adding the outdoor shot put title in the same year. Lamar Hargrove was indoor champ in the 200 meters in 2016, while Marquise Corbett was indoor long jump champ in 2017. James Ngandu won the outdoor 10,000 meters in 2018 and most recently Jonte Baker won the indoor 60 meter dash.
Curtiss, Burrows, and Baker were all outdoor All Americans last spring, while Jackson earned the honor in 2017 in shot put. This is also Burrows, Bowers, Jackson, and Baker's third consecutive outdoor qualification.
Six Dragons have extensive national history. Hargrove is an 8-time All American over 12 appearances, while Baker and Burrows are 6-time All Americans over their 7 appearances. Bowers has also earned 3 All American honors over 6 appearances, Curtiss has 3 All American nods in 3 tries, and Jackson has 2 All American awards in 7 showings.