Valley athletes Walburn, Krueger excel at NAIA Indoor
BROOKINGS, S.D. — A pair of Carroll College athletes with Flathead Valley roots landed All-America honors at the 2022 NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships that concluded Sunday.
Nikki Krueger, a Glacier High alum, placed fourth in the shot put on the final day. Lee Walburn of Whitefish placed second in the men’s indoor heptathlon, losing narrowly to Eastern Oregon’s TJ Davis.
Krueger came into the competition ranked second, after winning a national championship last March. The senior made the finals and hit her longest mark of the day — 45 feet, 3.5 inches — on her first throw there.
"We were pleased to compete well," Carroll assistant coach Jimmy Stanton said. "Our eyes are focused squarely on the outdoor season and completing the process in Alabama.”
"Today wasn't about chasing a title but trusting the process," Krueger said. "Knowing what I could do and what I could control. I'm really looking forward to what my last outdoor season holds for me and am ready to chase some big numbers."
On Friday Walburn, the defending outdoor decathlon champion, completed the heptathlon with 5,384 points. Davis ended with 5,439.
Davis, a sophomore, won the 60-meter hurdles in 8.24 seconds while Walburn was fourth at 8.68; he was also first in the long jump and won (with Walburn second) the shot put.
Walburn cleared 14-7.25 to place second in the pole vault, went 1-2 with Davis in the 1,000 meters and won the 60 meters. Walburn and Davis also finished 3-4 in the high jump.
"I know this wasn't exactly the outcome Lee wanted, but five PRs and All-American is a big accomplishment," Carroll coach Harry Clark said. "I'm proud of his calm mentality and how he showed up to compete and get better."
The full Carroll squad will be back to work for the next few weeks preparing for the outdoor season. They will return to the oval March 26 at the Al Manuel Open in Missoula.
Carroll College Sports Information contributed to this story. Full results for the meet are at https://results.dakotatiming.com/display.html?event_id=889