DES MOINES, Iowa - The Ashford University men's track and field team battled chilly winds on Friday afternoon during day two of the Midwest Collegiate Conference Outdoor Championships, but overcame the weather to bring home fourth place overall honors thanks to a number of impressive performances.

Freshman hurdler Christian ‘Ed' Awah of Willow Springs, Ill., redeemed himself after a disappointing fall in yesterday's 400-meter hurdles, as he won the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.29. Senior teammate Franklin Barnes of Chicago, who won the 400-meter hurdles yesterday, crossed the line in the third place with a time of 15.67.

Awah and Barnes will now shift their focus to the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships later the month, where they will compete in the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdle events, respectively.

The Saints added another individual victory on day two as sophomore A.J. Smith of Port Byron, Ill., took home first place in the high jump, clearing 1.96 meters (6'5") to tie the conference meet record.

Sophomore Aaron Yerk of Belvidere, Ill., and senior Caleb Snyder of Winnebago, Ill., competed in the high jump as well, where they placed third and tenth, respectively.

Qualifying for the finals in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes, sophomore Austin Gilbert of Peoria, Ill., finished fifth and third, respectively, in the midst of a very talented field of sprinters. After crossing the finish line in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.06, Gilbert returned to the track for the 200-meter finals, where he finished with a time of 22.20.

During of the most exciting races of the day on the men's side, Gilbert was stride-for-stride with William Penn's Gabriel Green in the 400-meter dash. At the finish line, however, Gilbert was a step behind Green, and placed second with a time of 50.93.

Junior Andrew Drinkall of Hooppole, Ill., also ran in the 400-meter dash, where he finished in sixth place with a time of 51.95.

The Saints relay teams had a great showing on Friday as well, as the 4x100-meter relay team consisting of Awah, Gilbert, Snyder, and sophomore Ademola Are of Hazel Crest, Ill., crossed the line in third place with a time of 43.67.

Later on in the meet, Snyder, Drinkall, Awah, and Gilbert collectively ran the 4x400-meter relay and took home second place honors after running a time of 3:25.76.

In the distance races, freshman Patrick McClain of Gary, Ind., took home 11th-place honors in the 1,500 meter run and 16th place in the 800-meter run.

In a time of 4:23.20, freshman Mizael Carrera of Franklin Park, Ill., placed fifth in the 1,500 meter run. Earlier in the meet, Carrera placed seventh in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 16:54.48.

Freshman Jaryd Prince of Clinton was the top Saints thrower of the men's side, placing fifth overall in the shot put with a toss of 13.54 meters (44'3"). Earlier in the meet, Prince and freshman teammate Joe Snyder of Winnebago, Ill., competed in the hammer throw. With a throw of 37.02 meters (121'3"), Snyder placed ahead of his fellow freshman teammate Prince, who launched the hammer 33.55 meters (110'1").

With a total of 127.5 points, the Saints took fourth place honors as a team.