BROOKINGS, S.D. — Hinsdale graduate Kaitlyn McColly made more history Thursday.
After winning the NAIA heptathlon national title during the outdoor track and field season last year, McColly, now a junior at Dickinson State University, won the women's pentathlon at the NAIA indoor championships Thursday, becoming the first Blue Hawk to win a national championship in the event.
"Today was a battle. I had to work every step of the way," McColly said in an interview posted on the NAIA's account on X (formerly Twitter). "I didn't have marks at quite where I was hoping in any of my events, but I just had to trust my training, trust my coaching."
After an up-and-down day — McColly placed second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.70 seconds but struggled to an eighth-place finish in the high jump — McColly trailed by 83 points entering the 800-meter run, the final pentathlon event.
She placed second in the 800 with a time of 2:24.63 to score 762 points and bring her total to 3,716 points, just enough to edge second-place Renee Fink of Central Methodist (Missouri) who finished with 3,701 total points.
"I ran as hard as I could, and I might have blacked out a little bit, and I ended up doing the job, so it was a great day," McColly said.
McColly placed fourth in the long jump and fifth in the shot put.
Abby Clark, a Montana Tech junior from Fort Benton, was fourth in the pentathlon.
The NAIA indoor track and field championships started Thursday and run through Saturday.
