Mystics take national qualifiers to Asheville with podium ambitions at NAIA championships

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Bismarck State track & field is in western North Carolina in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, this week, with a chance to turn a strong season into national hardware at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Mystics will compete Wednesday through Friday at Karl Straus Track, on the campus of UNC-Asheville, carrying qualifiers across sprints, jumps, throws and relays, with the program chasing top-eight finishes and NAIA All-American status.

The opening day offers immediate scoring opportunities on the women’s side. Alexia Anderson, ranked 14th, and Kennedy Harter, ranked 21st, are set for the women’s long jump at 1 p.m., while the women’s 4x100-meter relay of Aisha Zaffino, Priviledge Bower, Aliya Schock and Anderson enters prelims ranked 20th at 2 p.m. Bower also gives the Mystics a strong sprint storyline in the women’s 200-meter dash prelims at 4:20 p.m. with an 11th-place national ranking, putting her in position to push for a place in Friday’s final if she advances cleanly through the field.

Thursday may be the busiest and most revealing day for Bismarck State. Bower returns in the women’s 100-meter dash prelims at 2:20 p.m., and the men’s 400-meter dash follows at 3:20 p.m. with Cayden Kraft ranked seventh and Nathan Mathern ranked fourth. That event could give the Mystics one of their best chances to make a move toward the podium, especially with two entries carrying national-level credentials into prelims. Later Thursday, Harter competes in the women’s triple jump, where her No. 7 ranking makes her one of the program’s clearest contenders to challenge for All-American honors.

Relay depth will also shape the Mystics’ meet. The women’s 4x400-meter relay of Zaffino, Schock, Brooklyn Fuller and Tsitsi Karanda is scheduled for prelims at 7:15 p.m., and the men’s 4x400-meter relay of Mathern, Xavier Bell, Timol Walters and Kraft follows at 7:45 p.m. ranked 13th. Those late races could determine how much Bismarck State carries into Friday, when finalists return to race for places and points. Jasmine Nash closes out the individual qualifying list for the Mystics in the women’s discus at 11 a.m. Friday, ranked 20th in an event that can shift quickly with a single big throw.

Weather may become part of the competitive picture over the three-day meet. Wednesday is expected to be sunny with a high of 85, Thursday brings a chance of rain with a high of 76, and Friday is forecast to be overcast with a high of 69. For the Mystics, the objective is straightforward: survive the prelim rounds, put as many athletes as possible into finals, and give a seasoned national group a chance to finish the season on the podium.