PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's track & field team claimed its second consecutive NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championship in dramatic fashion Saturday (Mar. 9) at the Robert W. Plaster Center.

The Gorillas scored 23 points between the triple jump and the 4x400 meter relay, two of the final three events of the two-day meet, to vault to the top of the podium stand.

Pitt State compiled 69 points to claim the program's third overall NCAA Indoor National Championship (2018, 2023, 2004). Grand Valley State University finished as the national runner-up with 56.5 points and Adams State University placed third with 55 points.

With the title, the Gorillas have won the last four D2 track & field championships. After placing third at the 2022 NCAA-II Indoor Nationals, Pitt State claimed the 2022 Outdoor Nationals crown and swept both indoor and outdoor honors in 2023. The Gorillas claimed the program's first indoor national crown in 2018 at the Robert W. Plaster Center.

On Championship Saturday, the Gorillas secured three individual event national titles to help fule the point-scoring frenzy: Daylin Williams in the 60-meter hurdles (7.77), Tre Betts in the triple jump (51-9.75) and the 4x400m relay of Bailey Stone, Dapriest Hogans, Woyn Chatman and Caden Williams (3:09.78).

Hunter Jones started the day with a national runner-up performance in the heptathlon. He shattered his own school record with 5,783 points in the multi events. Grayson Smith also placed third in the pole vault with a personal best clearance of 17-6.25.

Joel Nyatusah placed fourth in the 60m hurdles (7.88) and the trio of Tevin Wright-Rose (6.71), Dapriest Hogans (6.77) and Dakari Charlton (6.79) finished fifth, sixth and eighth in the 60 meters. Charlton added a seventh-place All-America finish in the 200 meters (21.48).

Treyvon Ferguson added a sixth-place All-America finish in the triple jump (50-8), while Williams placed seventh in the 400 meters (48.03) and Mason Strader scored a seventh place All-America finish in the mile (4:20.14).

Pitt State has finished in the top five teams at the NCAA-II Indoor National Championships in five of the last six seasons (2018, Champs; 2021, 5th; 2022, 3rd; 2023, Champs; 2024, Champs) - the 2020 national meet was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.