Bates, Roach Finish Incredible Weekend With All-American Results
Junior Kristen Bates capped her championships weekend with a runner-up finish in the 55-meter hurdles, while seior Patrick Roach took third overall in the men's 800.

Terre Haute, IN — Junior Kristen Bates complemented Friday’s third-place finish in the pentathlon with a second-place result in the women’s 55-meter hurdles at this weekend’s NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships, earning her second double All-American honor on the indoor circuit.

Senior Patrick Roach finished third in the men’s 800-meter run on Saturday, making the most of his indoor national championship debut with an All-American finish as well.

“It was another very good day for Kristen and Pat,” said Dale Fogelsanger, Messiah head coach. “They both can feel very good about the performances they turned in over the weekend.”

Competing at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Sports and Recreation Center in Terre Haute, Indiana, Bates ran an :08.11 in Saturday’s 55-meter hurdles final — the exact same clip she posted in Friday’s prelims.

Frostburg State University’s Summer Rohrs captured her fourth indoor national championship in the event with a :07.84 time Saturday, setting a new NCAA Division III National Championships record in the process.

Bates entered the 55-meter hurdles as the second seed behind Rohrs, while the :08.11 clip was her second-fastest time ever behind her school-record :08.06 set at this year’s Dickinson College Valentine’s Invitational.

Bates’ dual All-American honors helped Messiah to a 10th-place finish in the women’s team standings — a new program record — while she earned her third and fourth indoor All-American awards and fifth overall. Bates finished third in the triple jump and fourth in the 55-meter hurdles in last year’s indoor national championships, and claimed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles at last year’s outdoor national championships.

Roach, meanwhile, scooted to a third-place finish in Saturday’s 800-meter men’s finals, clocking a 1:54.17 to edge the fourth-place runner by two tenths of a second. Roach qualified for Saturday’s finals by virtue of a 1:53.99 clip in a very physical Friday prelim heat, participating in a much cleaner race Saturday afternoon.

The Boiling Springs, Pa. native utilized a very smart race in the finals, making his move around the 600-meter mark to move from seventh into third over the final lap. Roach was edged by Ohio Northern University’s Jimmy O’Brien (1:53.34) and Whitworth University’s Emmanual Bofa (1:53.80). O’Brien won his second indoor national championship in the event, while Bofa was last year’s 800-meter champion in the outdoor national championships.

Roach’s first indoor All-American honor helped Messiah tie for 32nd place among all men’s teams. It was his second All-American honor overall, as he finished fourth in the 400-meter run in last year’s outdoor national championships.

Wartburg College won the women’s team title while the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse shared the men’s team championship. Sixty-eight schools were represented on the women’s side and 74 on the men’s.

Complete results from the two-day meet are available at both the Rose-Hulman national championship site and the USTFCCCA national championships site.