Rio Grande's Grace Forrest met the "A" qualifying standard in the 5,000-meter race walk for the NAIA National Championships and set a new school record at the Electric City Invitational in Anderson, S.C.

Posted: Apr 14, 2024

Rio's Forrest sets school record, qualifies for nationals

Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Grace Forrest met the "A" qualifying standard in the 5,000-meter race walk at an event in South Carolina, while her University of Rio Grande women's track and field teammates posted eight Top 10 performances at Ohio University on Saturday.
Forrest, a redshirt sophomore from Woodstock, Ohio, posted a new school-record time of 27:20.97 and finished third in her event at the Electric City Invitational hosted by Anderson University in Anderson, S.C.
She's now qualified for the 43rd Annual NAIA National Championships, which are set for May 22-24, at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind.
Meanwhile, the rest of RedStorm squad was busy taking part in the Cherry Blossom Invitational hosted by Ohio University at the Goldsboro Track in Athens, Ohio.
Seven different individuals and one relay unit had Top 10 outings.
Chianti Marks, a junior from Birmingham, England, had the lone win, taking first place in the triple jump with an effort of 9.96m. Freshman Emily Duncan (Chesapeake, OH) and junior Kendra Grooms (West Union, OH) finished second and third, respectively, in the high jump with marks of 1.52m.
Other individual showings of note for the RedStorm included sophomore Amarissa Kerns (Lancaster, OH), who finished ninth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:56.99; freshman Chanee Cremeens (Gallipolis, OH), who was ninth in the shot put after a heave of 11.03m; junior Jayden Roach (Baltimore, OH), who was 10th in the 400-meter run with a time of 1:02.17; and sophomore Nalah Kirkendall (Wheelersburg, OH), who took 10th in the hammer throw with a toss covering 38.48m.
Rio also finished as the runner-up in the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:11.64. The quartet included Kerns, Roach, Grooms and sophomore Paris DeBord (Chillicothe, OH).
As a team, the RedStorm compiled 43.5 points, which was good enough for sixth place among the 12 competing teams.
Host Ohio University won the team crown (151.5 points), while Cedarville (99 pts.) and Cleveland State (80.5 pts.) rounded out the top three.
Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action at the River States Conference Championships, which are set for April 26-27 in Pittsburgh, Pa.