Johnson City, Tenn. --- The Pioneer women's track and field team is in first place after the second day of competition at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The WBU women have 22 points, thanks to a second place finish in the 4x800 relay, and a second and third place finish in the long jump.

On the men's side, junior Brandon Mansfield broke his own school record to earn four points with a fourth place finish in the Weight Throw.

Lindenwood University is one point behind the Pioneer women with 21, while Azuza Pacific, which has finished second to the Pioneers the past two seasons, is in third with 15. Another of the favorites, Dickinson College, is tied for sixth with 10 points, while Oklahoma Baptist is 12th with 6.

Senior Kydia Echols held off a challenger from Azuza Pacific to give the women's 4x8 team eight points. Echols, along with fellow senior Elva Pedroza, and two freshman, Jennifer Secrest and Milca Villegas, ran a 9:10.01 to finish right behind first place Simon Fraser.

Earlier in the day, sophomore Bianca Grant and junior Latanya Nation gave the Wayland women 14 points in the long jump. Grant had a leap of 19-11 (6.07m) for the second place finish, while Nation came in third with a jump of 19-00.5 (5.80m).

The Pioneers have seven women still alive in running events. Junior sprinter Kimberly Smith enters Saturday's finals in the 60-meters with the best time after setting a new meet record in the semis with a time of 7.29. Grant and senior Keliesa Ross also advanced to Saturday's finals in the short sprint.

In the 200-meters, Smith and Ross both advanced. Smith topped her time in the championship a year ago with a preliminary-best time of 24.16, while Ross ran a 25.15 to earn the seventh qualifying position.

Nation returns to the track on Saturday with the top qualifying time in the 60-meter hurdles, after running a school-record 8.63 in the semi-finals on Friday afternoon.

Echols also established a new school mark, turning in the best preliminary time in the 600-meters at 1:32.19.

Also on Saturday, the women's 4x4 relay will attempt to earn a medal, as will Grant and Nation who make a return to the jumping pit in the triple jump competition.

Other runners who competed on Friday, but did not advance include Leandria Lee in the 60-meters (7.87) and 200-meters (25.32), Secrest in the 600-meters (1:37.59), and Pedroza (3:01.16) and Villegas (3:01.38) in the 1,000-meters.

Mansfield's fifth throw of the day went 61-00.75 (18.61m) and was almost five feet better than the toss he made two weeks ago in Nebraska that also set a new school mark. It was Mansfield's best finish at a national meet.

Runners on the Wayland men's side to stay alive for Saturday's final day of competition include Kennedy Kithuka in both the Mile (4:14.46) and the 3,000 meters (8:40.04); Kirby Dunn in the 1,000 meters (2:30.14); and Lee Prevost (21.63) and Jerry-Lee Davis (21.80) in the 200 meters.

The Pioneer men who did not advance after Friday's competition were Myrun Roundtree who fouled on all three attempts in the long jump; Victor Lemay in the Mile (4:27.40); Caleb McLean (49.38), Andre Hamilton (49.39) and Fernando Barrio (50.33) in the 400-meters; and Hildon Boen in the 800-meters (1:56.32). Roundtree made it out of the preliminary round of the 60-meters with a time of 6.85, but failed to make it past the semis (6.84). Lee Prevost also ran in the 60-meter prelims (6.97).

Other men hoping to earn enough points on Saturday to put Wayland on the podium for the first time in over 20 years include the 4x400 relay team, the Distance Medley Relay team, and Roundtree in the triple jump. The top four teams make the podium at the indoor championships.