Deptford’s Javon Sanders won his hurdles semifinal Friday at the NAIA Championships and advanced to Saturday’s final.
Sanders, a senior at Indiana Tech, ran 8.03 to win the 3rd of five heats in the 60-meter hurdles qualifying at Dakota State’s Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D.
Sanders is ranked 4th in NAIA with a PR of 7.92 from a meet last month in Ashland, Ohio. He won the WHAC title with a 7.96 two weeks ago in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Sanders earned All-America honors with a 5th-place in last year’s NAIA indoor championships in Brookings.
The three NAIA hurdlers who had run faster than Sanders this year – Tajean Houston of Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth [7.77], Zach Turner of Doane in Crete, Neb. [7.85], and teammate Ahumad Williams of Indiana Tech [7.89] – also advanced to the final., Houston in 7.98, Turner in 7.92 and Williams in 7.94. Leading all qualifiers was Emmanuel Niang of Talladega (Ala.), who PR’d in 7.90.
The final is scheduled for 1:55 p.m. EST Saturday. Sanders will be in Lane 7.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 