Three Spartan student-athletes--Chris Krystofiak, sophomore of Cedar Rapids; Ronald Henderson, sophomore of Akron, OH; and Phoenix Shadden, freshman of Atlantic--qualified for the 2018 NJCAA Division I Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held May 17-19, at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex in El Dorado, KS.

During nationals, Henderson placed fifth for high jump with a jump of 2.08 meters (6 feet, 9.75 inches). Phoenix finished 15th in the 3000-meter steeple chase with a time of 10:27.44. Krystofiak finished 11th in the decathlon scoring 5500. To qualify for the decathlon, runners must be in the top 16 in the nation. Krystofiak was ranked 14th at the time of qualifying and improved to finish the season ranked 11th in the nation.

In addition, Henderson qualified for and competed in the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships, held March 2-3, 2018, at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. At that time, Henderson was ranked fourth in the nation for high jump.

Henderson finished his career at Southwestern as a two-time NJCAA All-American and a four-time national track and field qualifier. He is a four-time regional champion in the high jump and his personal best is 2.10 meters.