LUBBOCK, Tex. --- The running events didn't get started at the Texas Tech Invitational until early evening on Saturday, but the late hour didn't seem to bother the Wayland Baptist track and field teams as 12 new qualifying marks were hit, including six automatic standards. Two Pioneers also won first place honors, and freshman Kennedy Kithuka set his second WBU outdoor record in as many weeks.

Kithuka won the 10,000-meters in a time of 29:22.71, taking almost a full minute off the previous school record estabilshed in 1989. Kithuka's fellow freshman, Edward Taragon, was third in the race, running an automatic qualifying time of 31:53.26.

The other first place winner on Saturday from Wayland was senior Kirby Dunn in the 1,500-meters. Dunn's time of 3:51.36 is the best in the NAIA so far this outdoor season.

Sophomore sprinter Leandria Lee posted a new automatic qualifying mark in the 200-meters with a time of 25.07. Kydia Echols, a senior, posted a time of 56.95 in the 400-meters to automatically qualify, and sophomore Bianca Grant hit a mark of 11.76-meters (38-07) in the triple jump for a fourth place finish and an automatic berth in the NAIA Championships next month.

On the men's side, Caleb McLean joined Kithuka, Taragon and Dunn in reaching an "A" standard with his fifth place finish in the 400-meters (48.07). New provisional qualifying marks were turned in by Jerry-Lee Davis in the 100-meters (10.74), Lee Prevost in the 200-meters (21.83), Jarrod Morris (1:53.89) and Hildon Boen (1:54.29) who came in third and fourth in the 800-meters, and Brandon Mansfield in the shot put (15.45m).

Top five finishers on Saturday included Elva Pedroza in the 1,500-meters (5th); the women's 4x400-meter relay team of Echols, Milca Villegas, Jennifer Secrest, and Pedroza (5th); Grant in the long jump (2nd); Diana Gutierrez in the 5,000-meters (5th); Mario Scott in the 800-meters (5th); Lucius Lopez and Hildon Boen in the 800-meters (4th and 5th); the men's 4x100-meter relay team of Prevost, Scott, Davis and McLean (3rd); the men's 4x400-meter relay team of Scott, Morris, Dunn and Tito Benton (3rd); pole vaulter Bradley Sell (5th); Myrun Roundtree in the long jump (2nd); and Mansfieldl in the hammer throw (3rd).

The WBU tracksters travel to Waco this coming Saturday to compete in the Michael Johnson Classic to be held at Baylor University.