SOU REMAINING SCHEDULE
FRIDAY'S EVENTS
10 a.m. – M Pole Vault (Le Bel)
11 a.m. – W High Jump (Stevens)
12 p.m. – M Shot Put (King)
1:55 p.m. – M 5,000m final (Fernandez)

MEET CENTRAL

MARION, Ind. – Abi Stevens and Jenna Hodges spent Thursday climbing up the standings to make Southern Oregon the only school with a pair of top-10 placers in the women's heptathlon, and Isaac Fernandez qualified for the men's 5,000-meter final on Day 2 of the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Stevens, the sophomore from West Allis, Wisc., reeled in another All-America honor by placing fourth with 4,705 points, jumping three individuals over the final three disciplines of the 18-person competition.  

Hodges, the senior from Wildomar, Calif., had the strongest meet of her career to finish ninth place with 4,391, marking a 126-point personal best. She placed 13th last year, had the No. 15 seed this year, and was in 17th place when the day started.

Stevens is now a seven-time All-American – one plaque away from matching Arianna Daniel for the second-most in SOU women's history, which she can attain Friday as the No. 8 seed in the high jump. She'd taken seventh in the heptathlon last spring but improved on that standing thanks in large part to a 10-inch PR in one of her weakest disciplines, the javelin, with a mark of 109 feet 10 inches. She was just 1.3 seconds off another PR in the 800-meter finale, placing second in the field with a time of 2 minutes 24.05 seconds.

Hodges made up even more ground in the javelin with a 14-foot PR of 126-9, the third-best throw in the field. She completed the competition with two additional PRs, in the shot put and the 200. Her final score put her at No. 6 on SOU's all-time performance list, where Stevens stands at No. 3.

Fernandez will be among 16 racers in Friday's 5K final after recording the sixth-fastest qualifying time among a field of 34. The senior made a quick recovery after placing 13th in Wednesday night's 10K, hitting the finish line in 14:49.22, less than three seconds off the fastest time of his career.

Andrew Mitchell, a day after finishing as the national runner-up in the javelin, placed 19th in the discus with a throw of 150-11. He entered the competition as the No. 23 seed.

SOU WOMEN'S RESULTS
Heptathlon (18 total entries)
4. Abi Stevens, 4,705
Day 1: 100m Hurdles – 15.55 (770); High Jump – 1.64m (783); Shot Put – 9.10m (471); 200m – 26.52 (752)
Day 2: Long Jump – 5.21m (617); Javelin – 33.48m (543); 800m – 2:24.05 (769)
9. Jenna Hodges, 4,391
Day 1: 100m Hurdles – 16.82 (617); High Jump – 1.46m (577); Shot Put – 9.94m (526); 200m – 26.61 (745)
Day 2: Long Jump – 5.16m (603); Javelin – 38.64m (641); 800m – 2:30.87 (682)

SOU MEN'S RESULTS
5,000m (34 total entries)
6. Isaac Fernandez, 14:49.22

Discus (31)
19. Andrew Mitchell, 46.00m (150-11)