MYRTLE BEACH, SC - Desmond Gist (Detroit, Mich./Trenton) put forth another outstanding performance on Friday, May 24, at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He ran the second-fastest time in Bluffton school history, just .03 off his school record 14.26, but it was a mere 1/100 of a second away from moving him into the Saturday finals for the 110-meter hurdles.

His 14.29 would have been the second-fastest qualifying time in 2023 when he finished 5th in the country, but it left him just outside of the 2024 championship heat. Head Coach Ben Markison stated, "Nationals did not go exactly as planned with Des finishing 9th, but at the end of the day he showed up and ran well with his 2nd-fastest time ever. He is now more motivated than ever and I am excited to see how he bounces back next year."

"The 2023-24 track season as a whole went really well, which is evident by how well we placed at indoor and outdoor Heartland Conference Championships on top of the number of records broken throughout the season," quipped Marksion. "The team is in a good spot going forward, obviously it hurts when you lose two big point scorers in Blayden and Simon, but I think the freshman we have coming in are ready to work. On the women's side we are bringing in a solid group that will add some much-needed depth so I'm hopeful that will help improve their finish at conference in the coming indoor and outdoor seasons."

Gist will be vying for his 5th and 6th trips to the NCAA Championships, including a 4th straight outdoor championship appearance when he hits the track for the 2024-25 campaign!

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