Jack Kittle Finishes Fifth in 400 Meters At NCAA Championships

GENEVA, OH - The 2024-25 season ended with an All-America performance for Wittenberg University Men's Track and Field as freshman Jack Kittle (Chagrin Falls, OH / Chagrin Falls) placed fifth in the 400-meter dash.

Kittle becomes the 14th student-athlete in program history to earn All-America honors at either an indoor or outdoor championship meet. His All-America performance is the 23rd recorded by those 14 student-athletes, and it is the first since Tyler Gittins finished third in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2017 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships.

Seeded 14th in both the 200 meters and the 400 meters heading into the NCAA Division III Championships, Kittle finished 15th in the 200-meter dash on Thursday with a time of 21.58, a performance that earned Kittle second-team All-America honors. On Friday, Kittle ran in the first of three qualifying heats for the 400-meter dash, and he advanced to the finals with a time of 47.64, which was the seventh-fastest time in the event.

Running out of Lane 9 in the final on Saturday, Kittle ran a stellar time of 47.12 - just .01 off his school record time recorded earlier in the season - and he moved up to fifth place as the runners crossed the finish line. Grant Nelson of Bethel was the top-seeded runner after qualifying, and he won the finals race in a photo finish over Collin Conzemius of Wisconsin-Lacrosse. Nelson finished in 46.678, compared to Conzemius in 46.680.

"Going into the race, I knew I had to stay calm and execute the strategy my coach and I had worked on all year to get out fast but stay smooth and controlled, and then kick it in with 150 to go," Kittle said. "It was all about trusting my training, and more importantly, my coach."

Written By: Ryan Maurer
Photo By: Carlisle Stockton