UPDATE: Gist has qualified for national compettition.

Bluffton University sophomore Desmond Gist (Detroit, Mich./Trenton) traveled to Alliance, Ohio, on Thursday, May 19, 2022 to compete in the 110 meter hurdles event at the Mount Union Last Chance Meet.

He put up a record-setting time for the university and as of 11 p.m. Thursday night, was tied for 18th in NCAA Division III competition. Over the next day or so that status can change.

Gist found his stride and left the field in his wake, blazing his way to a school-record 14.46 in the 110-meter hurdles at the Mount Union Last Chance Meet. The work he put in throughout the season and especially the past two weeks since school has been out led to a fantastic performance that saw him take a whopping .34 seconds off his PR and .29 off Jason Shatto's school record.

When Gist's time went up on the board, his school-record vaulted him to 14th in the country with the top 20 earning a berth at the NCAA Division III Nationals next weekend. Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio, is the site where the top track and field athletes in the country will convene from Thursday, May 26 through Saturday, May 28.

Coach Ben Markison had this to say about Desmond following his record-setting performance. "I'm very proud of the progress he made this season. We took a risk after the last chance meet at Baldwin Wallace and decided to switch back to eight step which he hadn't done in over a year. It's not an easy thing to adjust to after seven-stepping all season, but he worked hard this week getting it right and it ended up paying off big time."

Stay tuned for more info as the field gets set for the national championships.