POCATELLO, Idaho - The NNU Track and Field team competed in the Dragila Invite this Saturday — their second indoor meet of the season.

The event was hosted by Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. Holt Arena housed the competitive atmosphere while the athletes, ranging from Division I to NAIA programs, attempted to put up their fastest times and farthest marks.

Abbey Wood, a junior transfer from George Fox University, took the competition by surprise when she snagged second place in the Women's 60 meter dash in 7.79 seconds, just 0.12 seconds behind an athlete from Utah State University. Wood's time put her #2 on the NNU All-Time list, 8 hundredths of a second from the NNU school record. 

"Abbey has been working really hard on her acceleration development. It is neat to see that hard work paying off, especially in her 60m," said Head Coach Danny Bowman. 

Wood exceeded all expectations for herself as well. "I haven't competed since 2020, so I was pretty nervous going into it. I was excited though, because I wanted to see where my training has put me."

"Before I got in my blocks I was shaking. When I crossed the finish line and saw my time, I couldn't believe it — that was a huge PR for me." Wood's previous PR was 8.15 seconds.

"It was very surreal."

The sprinter owes a lot of her success today to her teammates and the supportive environment they've fostered. "I know the team atmosphere has been incredibly beneficial for my training. I really enjoy going to practice. It's amazing to see how what we've been doing is working," said Wood.

To top off her Saturday, Wood proceeded to also PR in the 200 meter dash. She crossed the line in 26.64 seconds, 9th in NNU history. 

Big things were happening in the throws pit at Holt Arena as well. Dylan Hendry, a junior transfer from Treasure Valley Community College, won the weight throw with a distance of 17.03 meters, putting him 4th in NNU history.

Hendry's previous personal best in the weight throw was 14.52 meters. "I knew I was going to PR, but had no idea I was going to throw over 17 meters. What's funny is that it felt like nothing," said Hendry.

"When I saw the mark, I got super excited and smiled for my parents in the stands. It was surreal. I never expected that."

Throws Coach Shane Peterson was proud of Hendry's exceptional performance. "It is always nice when hard work pays off at a significant time. A couple things clicked today for Dylan and he was pleasantly surprised with over a two meter PR. Seeing him smile from ear to ear was priceless," said Peterson. 

"The next challenge will be to make 17 + meters a common occurrence." 

Motivated by Hendry's performance, senior throws captain Colton Burr placed 2nd in the weight throw with a toss of 17 meters, 5th in NNU history. In total, 10 NNU athletes achieved personal bests in Pocatello. 

The Nighthawks' next opportunity to compete will be on Friday, February 4th at the WSU Open in Spokane, Washington.