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HU's Nash, Donaldson earn All-America honors

Jake Nash (left) and Jean Donaldson.
Jake Nash (left) and Jean Donaldson. Photos provided.

Huntington University senior Jake Nash and junior Jean Donaldson each earned All-American honors at the 2016 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Gulf Shores, AL, on Thursday, May 26, and Friday, May 27.

Nash claimed his honor with a leap of 6-6 to place eighth in the high jump on Friday, while Donaldson claimed the same spot in javelin on Thursday with a personal best effort of 137-06.25.

Nash, a native of Lebanon, OH, boasts two indoor All-America honors in the high jump, but for Donaldson, this was her first time earning a national honor. The North Miami product out-threw her No. 19 seed by 11 places to become just the second female Forester athlete to earn an outdoor honor in the last decade.

She topped her previous personal best by 6 feet.

Senior Kai Foday, a Huntington native, also turned in a career-best throw in javelin as he heaved the spear 183-00.25 to place 12th, 11 spots ahead of his No. 23 seed.

Junior Christiana Hicks also out-performed her seed, finishing 12th in triple jump with a mark of 37-01, outdoing her 19th seed.

Also competing on the big stage were freshman Mariah Harter in the 200-meter dash, and the 400-meter relay team of Hicks, Harter, Nicole Pennington and Samantha McCoy, neither of which placed highly.