VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – Natalia Sawyer (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) won the national championship in the 60-meter hurdles, and ran one of the fastest times in Division III history for a second-place finish in the 400-meter dash on Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.

Qualifying in third place yesterday in the 60 hurdles prelims with a school and SUNYAC-record time of 8.47 seconds, Sawyer slowly made up ground over the first hurdles, and sped ahead of the competition after the final hurdle for a winning time of 8.50 seconds. Second-place finisher Hannah Zastrow of Wisconsin-Stout finished with a mark of 8.53 seconds.

In the 400-meter dash prelims yesterday, Sawyer had also posted a school and conference record with a mark of 55.56 seconds. In the first heat of the finals, Kenadee Wayt of Mount Union posted the top time of 54.72 seconds. In the second heat, Sawyer entered the second lap in third place in her heat, but overtook the other two competitors in the final lap. Down the final straightaway, Sawyer closed strong for a time of 54.86 seconds. That mark surpassed the school and conference records, and was the sixth-fastest time in the event in Division III history.

The two All-America honors for Sawyer add to an extremely impressive resume for the sophomore. Through three national championship meets, Sawyer now has been an All-American four times, with two national titles (2023 Outdoor Championships – 400-meter hurdles, 2024 Indoor Championships – 60-meter hurdles).