HICKORY, N.C.— The Montreat men's and women's track & field teams concluded their preparations for the 2024 NAIA Men's & Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday and Sunday by sending a small contingent of athletes to the LR Last Chance Meet in Hickory, N.C. With a total of just four Cavaliers competing in three events at Lenoir-Rhyne University, Montreat captured one additional nationals berth thanks to an NAIA "A" standard.
 
Ruchen Blaauw and Dylan Branch got the action started for Montreat as they were the lone Cavs to participate on Saturday. Racing in the men's 800m, Blaauw ended fifth of seven runners with his time of 1:56.23, while Branch crossed the finish line just one spot back thanks to a 1:57.64 effort.
 
The Cavaliers participated in a pair of field events on Sunday, with Gregory Curry II in the men's long jump and Jessica Gakeri in the women's triple jump. An NAIA All-American last year, Gakeri booked her spot to this year's national meet via an "A" standard leap of 11.74m. The Winston-Salem, N.C. native's showing proved good enough for second place among a field of three jumpers. Meanwhile, Curry II finished fourth out of five competitors with his 6.72m mark.
 
For a complete list of Saturday's results from the LR Last Chance Meet, click here. To look at Sunday's LR Last Chance Meet results, click here.
 
The Montreat men's and women's track & field teams now turn their attention squarely towards the national meet, which is slated for May 22-24 at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind. Multis qualifiers are expected to be announced by the national office later today, while the remaining field of competitors is slated to be unveiled on Friday.