Eastern Wayne Today

Wayne State University redshirt senior Thailyia Christensen has qualified for the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the steeplechase. This achievement marks her as the 13th student-athlete from Wayne State to reach this level of competition.

Christensen secured a provisional mark at the Cedarville Yellow Jacket Open in March, later improving her time by nearly 23 seconds at the Long Beach State Beach Invite. Most recently, she set a season-best time of 10:27.15 at the Baldwin Wallace Harrison Dillard Twilight, ranking her 14th in NCAA Division 2 this spring.

Reflecting on Christensen's progress, it was noted, "We are very proud of Thailyia's accomplishments thus far, and excited for the opportunity she will have in Emporia. Her huge improvement as a steeplechaser - from 11:38 in her first season to 10:27 last Friday - mirrors her growth as a student-athlete and a leader in our program." The statement continued to express optimism about Christensen's potential performance at the national championships despite not being favored.

Previously, junior sprinter Makayla Sumrall earned Honorable Mention All-America accolades after finishing ninth in the finals of the 100m dash. She was WSU's first outdoor track All-American since hurdler Karrington Seals' multiple achievements between 2016 and 2018.

Other Warriors who have competed at NCAA Championships include Brittany Johnson (2014), Hall of Fame inductee Jen Rock (2014 and 2015), Lauren Gagnon (2015), Chelsea Johnson (2015), and Elizabeth Herriman (2015-2017).

Christensen is set to compete in the steeplechase preliminaries on Thursday, May 23rd. The top twelve times will advance to finals scheduled for Friday, May 24th.