DAY 1 RESULTS | DAY 2 START LISTS

EMPORIA, Kan. – The Lee University Track & Field team advanced four competitors to their respective event final and Cale Kassen stands in third place in the Decathlon following the first day of the 2024 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

McKenna Cavanaugh was the last to hit the track on Thursday and posted a time of 10:40.17 to grab the second of the four next five best times in the two heats to secure a spot in the 3000-meter Steeplechase final on Friday. She placed fifth in the second heat.

Roberto Fajardo, Aria Hawkins and Justin Steele each advanced to the final of their events. Fajardo was fourth in his heat of the 1500-meter run to claim one of the eight automatic spots. His time of 3:53.97 was 13^th-best overall. Hawkins was third in her heat and third overall at 4:30.93 to garner a spot in the final of the women's 1500. Steele completed the 400-meter Dash second in his heat. His time of 46.45 seconds was the fastest time among those that did not qualify as a heat winner. All three of those event finals will be held on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Kassen placed second in three of the five contested Decathlon events on his way to accumulating 4,028 points. Hunter Jones of Pittsburg State stands in first place with 4,098 points and Trey Miller of Central Missouri is in second with 4,072 points. Kassen holds a 20-point advantage over Jacob Wadsworth of Lenoir-Rhyne.

The second half of the Decathlon begins with the 110-meter Hurdles at 10:30 a.m. Three field events (Discus Throw, Pole Vault and Javelin Throw) lead up to the 1500-meter Run for the final event of the Decathlon around 3:55 p.m.

Kassen returns to the track at 7:35 p.m. for the preliminary of the 110-meter Hurdles. The winners of the three heats and the next five best times will move on to the final on Saturday. The 4x400-meter Relay team of Nokia Masengu, Aiden Shaw, Doniven Jackson and Steele cap off Friday's competition in the preliminary round at 8:50.