CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Following the decathlon National Championship of Texas A&M University-Commerce's Florian Obst, both the men's and women's 4x400 meter relay teams qualified for the finals at the 2018 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
 
In the men's race, the foursome of Gabriel Peterson, Josiah Dennis, Aaron Lecesne, and Rashard Clark won their heat and notched the fastest qualifying team in the field at 3:08.08. This is the fourth Lion combination to go under 3:09 this season.
 
In the women's race, the quartet of Minna Svaerd, Ro'Nisha Simpson, Joy Spann, and Kamryn McKee qualified for the final with a time of 3:41.58, which is the fifth-fastest qualifying mark.
 
Malcolm Woods narrowly missed the 200 meter dash finals with a time of 21.14 seconds, just four hundredths out of contention.  Chelsea Cheek placed 16^th in the women's high jump, clearing 1.63 meters (5-4 ¼) and Jasmine Roberts placed 18^th in the women's triple jump at 11.81 meters (38-9).
 
With Obst's decathlon win and 10 team points, the Lion men are currently tied for ninth, with 14 events still to score Saturday.
 
Saturday's action for the Lions will feature three field events and five running finals.
 
SATURDAY SCHEDULE – All Times Eastern
12:30 p.m. – Hudson Hall – Men's Pole Vault
12:45 p.m. – DeVontae Steele – Men's Triple Jump
4 p.m. – Anitial'A Robins – Women's Discus Throw
4:25 p.m. – Rashard Clark – Men's 400 Meter Dash
4:35 p.m. – Kamryn McKee – Women's 400 Meter Dash
5:40 p.m. – Minna Svaerd – Women's 400 Meter Hurdles
7 p.m. – Men's 4x400 Meter Relay
7:10 p.m. – Women's 4x400 Meter Relay