BROOKINGS, S.D. – Jaiden Peraza placed 12th in high jump and Taylor Sargent finished 29th in the 60-meter hurdles on Friday as they represented VCSU at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships.
Peraza – a freshman from Kindred, N.D. – cleared 2.01 meters (6 feet, 7 inches) in the high jump during his first appearance at nationals. Peraza landed in a seven-way tie for 7th place, but dropped to an official finish of 12th place on tiebreaker criteria (who cleared the height in fewer attempts).
He made the opening height (1.96 meters) on his first attempt and then cleared the 2.01-meter bar on his second attempt at that height. He was eliminated at 2.04 meters, which would have been a personal record. His 12th-place finish was five spots better than his pre-meet ranking.
Sargent represented VCSU in the women's 60-meter hurdles where she placed 29th in the prelim heats. Sargent ran a time of 9.05 seconds – the second-best time of her career – as she placed 6th in her heat. Her overall finish of 29th was three spots better than her pre-meet ranking. A total of 46 runners competed in the 60-meter hurdles. Sargent was the second-best finisher out of four North Star Athletic Association competitors at nationals.
A senior from Carlyle, Saskatchewan, Sargent was competing at nationals for the first time in her career.
Up next: Valley City State is slated to begin the outdoor season later this month at the Yellow Jacket Spring Open hosted by Black Hills State in Spearfish, S.D.
