C-SC’s Straus earns NAIA All-American honors, breaks record in 800 run during heptathlon

MARION, Ind. — Delaney Straus made a dash for the history books.

Starting the second day of the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 16th place in the heptathlon, the Culver-Stockton College sophomore wasn’t able to make a leap despite solid efforts in the first two events Thursday.

But she saved her best for last. Straus finished eighth in the long jump and fifth in the javelin, but she won the final event — the 800-meter run — by breaking the school record with a time of 2 minutes, 12.67 seconds. That victory catapulted her to seventh place in the final standings and an All-American honor.

Straus, the Marion County graduate, is the Wildcats’ first athlete to earn All-American honors in the heptathlon and just the second All-American in any event ever. Paige Bray earned All-American honors in the 200 dash in 2017.

Straus also broke her own school record with 4,784 total points in the heptathlon.

Just 53 minutes after finishing the heptathlon, Straus competed in the 800 run, finishing 21st in 2:14.44.

C-SC sophomore Drew Mallett finished in 12th place in the decathlon with 6,082 points. He set a career-best mark in the pole vault, clearing 11 feet, 11.75 inches. He took 11th in the 100 hurdles and the discus and eighth in the 1,500 run.

In the women’s 5,000 race walk, the Wildcats’ Allison Morris and Faith Younce registered top-20 finishes. Morris finished 11th in 28:29.42, while Younce was 18th in 30:58.52. In the men’s 5,000 race walk, C-SC’s Kenny Tucker set a school record, finishing 17th in 26:38.61.

C-SC’s Jabez Rivers competed in the men’s 110 hurdles, finishing 23rd in 14.85 seconds.