The Cougars men began the day in fourth place with 32 points, trailing Life by 11. After scoring 17 points in the javelin and pole vault, Azusa Pacific took a 49-43 lead on Life. Freshman Sam McMullen (Costa Mesa, Calif./Calvary Chapel HS) threw a personal record 193-0 in the javelin to finish in seventh place and collect a surprising 2 points.

Then the Cougars added more 15 points in the pole vault; 7 coming from Jordan Hudgens (Superior, Colo./Fairview HS), who tied for second with a vault of 16-2¾ , Nate Fox (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison HS) and Jeff Schneider (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley HS), who tied for fifth for 3.5 points with a 15-9 vault, and 1 additional point from Sam Crowe (Oregon City, Ore./Milwaukie HS), who finished in eighth with another 15-9.

However, Life roared with victories in the discus, steeplechase and 5000 meters and then finished second in the 800m. Tack on another 7 points from the 1500m, and the Eagles put together enough of a cushion to offset Azusa Pacific points in the 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay.

"Life had too much in the distances," said fourth-year Azusa Pacific Kevin Reid. "They were just too hard to catch and too good for anyone else to break up in the 5000 and 10,000."

Azusa Pacific solidified a third place finish thanks to a pair of relays, the 400m hurdles and 200m dash. The Cougars 4x100m relay team struggled to get their handoffs straight and finished fifth with a 41.34 time, but it was good enough for 4 more points. In the 4x400m relay, the Cougars finished third with a 3:13.38.

Hudgens finished third in the 200m with a 21.20, then after anchored the 4x400m relay giving him 5 All-America honors in 5 different events at this championship meet and giving him 15 for his 2-year career.

In the 400m hurdles, a pair of Cougars received points. Dave Grazian (Watsonville, Calif./Watsonville HS) finished fifth (53.50) for 4 points, and Jim Meyer (Santa Cruz, Calif./Santa Cruz HS) finished 7th (56.02), scoring 2 points.

"The bear was on our back during the hurdle races and we just couldn't run at the front," added Reid, who believed Azusa Pacific needed at least 14 points in the 400m hurdles to stay in the contention with Life.

The Cougar women received 8 big points before most people were out of bed from senior Andrea Warner (Tacoma, Wash./Curtis HS), who finished second in the marathon (3:13:10) at about 9:30 a.m. in Florida, 6:30 in her native California.

But the night belonged to Junior Chrystall DeNaeyer (Valentine, Neb./Valentine Rural HS). DeNaeyer shook off a stomach ailment to win the 800m (2:10.60), the third fastest time in school history, then came back to anchor the 4x400m relay team that finished third (3:48.44).

"She was sick all day, but came out running hard," said Reid. "She began to feel sick again in the middle of the race but she stepped it up over the final 150 meters."

With these 2 team finishes, Azusa Pacific has collected 7 Top 5 finishes at NAIA Championship events this season. The Cougars won the NAIA football and women's soccer national championships, finished third in men's basketball, fourth in men's and women's indoor track & field and third and fourth in the men's and women's outdoor track & field meet, respectively.

For up-to-date results from NAIA Track & Field and Tennis, click here.