Delaney Straus punched her ticket to the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in one event and put herself in position to qualify for another event during the final day of the heptathlon at the 114^th Drake Relays Thursday afternoon.

Straus broke her own school record in winning the 800-meter run, the heptathlon's final event, in a time of 2:14.48. That mark is below the NAIA's automatic qualifying standard for the 800 and qualifies Straus for a spot at the final NAIA event May 22-24 in Marion, Ind.

The winning time also boosted Straus' point total in the seven events to 4,383 points, placing her eighth among the 18 competitors who finished all seven events. The 4,383 total is currently the 10^th-highest total in the NAIA this season. The top 16 scores qualify for the national meet in May.

Straus opened the seven-event heptathlon with four events Wednesday, finishing last in two of the events and middle of the pack in two others.

Straus, a sophomore from Philadelphia, Mo. (Marion County HS), opened the festivities with a 22^nd place finish in the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 16.37 seconds. She followed that up with a 10^th place finish in the high jump (5'1") before placing 22^nd again in the shot put (26'11 ¼"). Straus ended the first day with a 12^th place finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.37 seconds, giving her 2,526 total points after the first day of competition.

Straus began the second day with an 18^th place finish in the long jump, registering a mark of 15 feet, 8 ¾ inches. She placed 14th in the javelin throw with a toss of 94 feet, 7 inches before rolling to victory in the 800.

Straus and the rest of the women's track and field team will have its final tune up before the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championships next week by participating in the Grand View Viking Classic Friday, April 26, in Des Moines. That event is slated to begin at 11 a.m.