OMAHA, Neb. – College of Saint Mary last weekend completed its best-ever finish at an NAIA indoor or outdoor national track & field meet, finishing tied for 22^nd in the final team standings at the indoor meet held at the Alachua County Sports & Events Center in Gainesville, Fla.

The Flames scored 14 team points and finished in a tie for 22^nd with Indiana University Kokomo and University of the Cumberlands (Ky.). Marian University (Ind.) won the national title with 51 team points. Also from the Great Plains Athletic Conference, Doane University placed sixth with 27 points and Dordt University took 13^th with 22.

CSM Coach Steve Gordon Jr. said it's impossible to overstate the impact of the weekend on his program.

"We can battle it out in the GPAC, and you need a massive team to amass the points,'' he said. "It's a numbers thing. That goes away when you go to nationals. So quality points at nationals can put you right in the mix. We're only 10 points away from the top 10.''

The Flames crowned six All-Americans on the weekend:

Freshman Imani Skanes won CSM's first national championship in any sport, going 5.99 meters (19 feet, 8 inches) to win by eight centimeters (3¼ inches).

Sophomore Gozie Okafor placed seventh in the triple jump at 11.88 meters (38-11¾).

And the 4x800 team of Carly Henderson, Mira Fosmer, Kara Muller and Olivia Elbert placed seventh in 9:21.86.

Gordon said the performances showcase why CSM is an attractive option for many young women.

"It's a marketing thing, just like everything is,'' he said. "You have to be able to attract talent. Part of that experience is young athletes knowing that they're going to get better. Aspiring to what they see, and now we have the examples to show them.''