GULF SHORES, Ala. --- Over 52 years of history came to a close on Saturday as Biola Track & Field closed competition at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and became the final Biola student-athletes to compete in the NAIA.
 
Biola University becomes NCAA Division II members in 2017-18 and will compete in the PacWest Conference.
 
The student-athletes finished strong on a hot Saturday afternoon at the Mickey Miller Blackwell stadium. Two women earned individual NAIA All-American status in the 3,000m steeplechase, while Ryan Thompson made history by being the absolute last student-athlete to compete representing Biola in the NAIA when he ran in the 5,000m finals.
 
Lyndee Dawson, Stephanie Croy and Hannah Hunsaker all earned a spot in the finals of the steeplechase this year. It was a very tough race as once again draining weather impacted the final day of competition out in Alabama.

Dawson and Croy became the only individual All-Americans for Biola at this meet as they finishing fourth and fifth, respectfully, in the event. Dawson was competing for first place for much of the race, but dropped back on the final lap to claim fourth place with a 10:56.86. Croy was the next to cross the finish line, coming in at 11:02.07. Hunsaker moved up seven spots from where she was seeded to finish a strong 11^th with a time of 11:27.75.
 
"The steeple girls performed very well. Stephanie came in ranked sixth and finished fifth. Hannah came in ranked 18th and finished 11th," said Head Coach Sean Henning. "They both showed a lot of heart and gave us everything they had. I don't think I have ever been more proud of any performance of Lyndee's. The conditions are really difficult for her and she battled heat exhaustion after the race. The fact that she hit the last barrier and got up to finish with the heat exhaustion is so impressive to me."

Just about four hours after those ladies completed their race Thompson ran in a grueling 5k. He finished three spots higher than he did in prelims, crossing the line 12th overall. His final time was 15:43.10.

"I'm so proud of Ryan for making it to the finals," said Henning. "He raced really hard in the finals and worked his way up and did a great job of representing us."
 
The Eagles ended another fantastic track season with the women placing in the top-25. The Eagles look forward to PacWest competition next season and the prospects of competing at the National Christian College Athletic Association championships at the end of next year.