MARION, Ind. - One record-breaking member of the Ashford University men's track and field squad ended his season yesterday at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind., while another ran for the final time in a Saints uniform.

Freshman hurdler Christian ‘Ed' Awah of Willow Springs, Ill., and senior Franklin Barnes of Chicago, capped off a great 2010 campaign after competing with the nation's best in the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles, respectively.

In the 110-meter hurdle prelims, Awah raced to fifth place in his heat with a finishing time of 15.12. The time was not enough to advance to the semifinals, as the top 18 hurdlers in the prelims would go on to advance. Awah's time was a mere 0.3 seconds away from the last qualifying spot, but was also the second fastest time for a freshman in an upperclassmen-dominated field.

Barnes, competing for the fourth consecutive year in the event at the national meet, hit the track a few hours later for the 400-meter hurdle prelims. Running in the ninth lane during heat three, Barnes finished with a time of 60.50. His finished time placed Barnes 32nd overall for the event, and a historic career would end on the multi-colored track in Marion.

Although the finishes might be considered disappointing to the athletes themselves, how the season ended for two of the best hurdlers in the history of the track and field program at Ashford might also be somewhat fitting.

Barnes, a person who Awah calls his ‘mentor', held every hurdles school record before Awah joined the program this past fall. The dynamic duo worked together throughout the season, leading to individual hurdle titles at the Midwest Collegiate Conference Outdoor Championships earlier this month and qualifying times for the national meet.

Barnes will be forced to watch from the outside how his protégé finishes the rest of his career, but it is safe to say that Barnes has successfully passed the torch.