MARION, Ind. -- The running exploits of Shawnee State sophomore track and field athlete Isaiah Lanoy carried the Lancaster native to a career-best national championship finish in the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase on the third and final day of the NAIA Men's Outdoor Track and Field National Championships, as Lanoy placed 13th overall with a 9:24.91, concluding the 2024-25 season for the Shawnee State athletic department with a highly respectable showing at the Indiana Wesleyan University Track and Field Complex in Marion, Ind.

Race Highlights

Lanoy, who made his second consecutive appearance at the NAIA Men's Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in the 3,000 meter steeplechase but his first national final in the event, started strong, leading each of the first three laps of the event in a highly competitive field before being overtaken at the midway point.

Despite this, Lanoy still finished six spots higher than his NAIA Men's Outdoor Track and Field National Championship placement from 2024, where Lanoy finished 19th in the 2024 NAIA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the preliminary race.

In addition to climbing six spots from his 2024 NAIA Men's Outdoor Track and Field National Championship finish from 2024 to 2025, Lanoy also improved his time against national competition, as after running a 9:27.75 in the preliminary round in 2024, Lanoy was consistently faster in both the prelims and final in 2025, running a 9:24.02 in his prelim heat Wednesday evening followed by the 9:24.91 that the sophomore posted on Friday.

The effort caps off a brilliant 2024-25 season for Lanoy, who finished 68th at the 2024 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championships in November, 14th in the indoor 3,000 meter run at the 2025 NAIA Men's Indoor Track and Field National Championships and 13th in Friday's 3,000 meter steeplechase at the NAIA Men's Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.

"This afternoon wasn't the race we were looking for, but those days are bound to happen in this sport," Shawnee State Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Conner Flynn said. "However, I'm proud of Isaiah and how far he has come this past year. To place top 70 in XC, qualify indoors, then run a Top-10 NAIA mark and make the final outdoors, is an impressive sophomore year. I know he will be back stronger than ever this fall, ready to have a big junior year."