Brown and Byrum earn All-American honors on opening day of NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships
MARION, Ind. -- Midway's (Ky.) Nevaeh Brown and IU Kokomo's (Ind.) Emma Byrum each earned All-American honors following the opening day of the NAIA Women's Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Marion, Ind. hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University.
Brown continued her decorated career by earning her fifth All-American honor of her career in pole vault, while Byrum picked up the first honor of her career in the javelin.
Brown, who finished national runner-up at the 2024 indoor national championships, followed that performance up with another national runner-up on Wednesday after hitting a top mark of 3.80 meters.
The senior from Louisville, Ky. went toe-to-toe with Sonya Urbanowicz of British Columbia to see who would bring home the national title. Urbanowicz cleared 3.85 meters in her first try, while Brown was unable to clear 3.90 meters resulting in Urbanowicz finishing in first and Brown claiming second.
Byrum, who was making her second appearance at nationals, brought home the first All-American honor of her career with a fourth-place finish in the javelin. Her finish ties the highest finish ever by an IU Kokomo female student-athlete at the outdoor national championships.
A senior from Kokomo, Ind., Byrum progressed on each of her first three throws before a toss of 43.31 meters in her fifth attempt earned her a podium finish. Laurel Barber of MidAmerica Nazarene (Kans.) won the individual national title with a distance of 45.12 meters.