MARION, Ind. --- Running in their first competitive marathon ever, California Baptist University's Juan Romero and Mark Langworthy completed the Lancers' weekend at the 2011 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with top 50 finishes Saturday.
Romero finished 41st with a time of 2:51:59.9, while Langworthy was 50th with a 2:57:18.4. Competitors only needed to put up a qualifying mark in a half marathon to qualify for the NAIA Championships.
"Both Juan and Mark went out conservatively, which was good," said CBU Head Coach Wade Watkins. "Juan ran an even race throughout, but had some cramping issues in the middle portion. Mark made a good surge after mile 19, but right around mile 25, he hit a wall. All in all, though, this was a good week, and we qualified four more athletes than last year."
There were 71 competitors in the field, 16 of them didn't finish. Daniel Tubei of Park (Mo.) won the marathon by more than a minute with a time of 2:27:12.4.
The duos finish in the marathon concludes not only the Lancers' action at the national championships, but it is also the final NAIA competition for CBU as it heads to NCAA Division II next year.
