PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University women's indoor track & field soared to a National Runner-up finish at the 2024 NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships Saturday (Mar. 9) at the Robert W. Plaster Center.

The Gorillas compiled 64.5 points in the two-day meet to finish just 2.5 points behind Adams State University, which claimed its second straight indoor national crown. Minnesota State University finished third in the team standings with 54 points.

Pitt State recorded its top all-time indoor finish with the national runner-up team performance. The Gorillas finished fourth overall in both 2016 and 2017.

Blakelee Winn started Pitt State's point scoring efforts early on Championship Saturday with a national championship effort in the pentathlon. Winn registered a personal best 4,009 points in the multi events.

Auna Childress and Taylor Nelloms added a 14-point showing in the triple jump. Childress finished as the national runner-up with a best mark of 43 feet, 0.5 inches and Nelloms placed third overall at 41-9.25.

Diandrenique Gaines scored a pair of All-America performances in the sprints, placing third in the 200 meters (23.60) and seventh in the 60 meters (7.42).

Mattie Flanagan added a fifth-place All-America performance in the pentathlon (3,866 pts, PR); Winn placed fifth in the 60-meter hurdles (8.49); and Kate Dawson finished fifth in the 800 meters (2:09.18, PR).

The Gorillas closed out the championships with a sixth-place All-America finish by the 4x400m relay of Mikah Edwards, Olivia Lowery, Kinleigh Hall and Yasmine Johnson (3:42.79).

The Gorillas posted their eighth straight top 10 national finish Saturday. Since 2016, the Gorillas have finished fourth (2016), fourth (2017), fifth (2018), sixth (2019), tied for 10th (2021), tied for fifth (2022), tied for eighth (2023) and second (2024) nationally. The 2020 national indoor meet was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.