RALEIGH, N.C. (March 9) – Shannon Kalawan (So./Westmoreland, Jamaica) of Saint Augustine’s University captured her second consecutive 400 dash title in dramatic fashion on the final day of the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships in Pittsburg, Kan., on Saturday.
Kalawan trailed Renea Ambersley of Lincoln (Mo.) University most of the race but passed her just before crossing the finish line. The Lady Falcons’ sprinter won the event in 53.74.
Ambersley was second in 53.77 and Amanda Crawford (Jr./Brooklyn, NY) of the Lady Falcons was third in an indoor best 54.01. Kalawan and Crawford combined to score 16 of the Lady Falcons’ 25 points in the event.
In addition to her 400 win, Kalawan placed fifth in the 200 finals in 24.26. In the 4×400 relay final, Kalawan and Crawford teamed up with Davia Smith (Jr./Manchester, Jamaica) and Danielle Scantlebury (Fr./St. George, Barbados) to place fourth in a season-best time of 3:40.63.
In team standings, the Lady Falcons finished fifth in the nation with 25 points. Adams State University is the women’s national champion with 87 points followed by Grand Valley State University (64), Lincoln (Mo.) University (47) and the University of Alaska Anchorage (34).
The Lady Falcon qualifiers of Kalawan, Crawford, Smith and Scantlebury all earned All-America honors at the championship meet. The top eight individual finishers and relay teams received All-America awards in their respective events.
The Lady Falcons begin the outdoor track and field season next weekend in the Shamrock Invitational in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The meet will be held at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium on March 14-16.
– Office of Sports Information
