Kansas Wesleyan's Wyatt Johnson and Delaney Bond are taking pragmatic approaches to the tasks they will face later this week at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

"It's my second time going to Nationals with an individual qualifier and this is the highest ranking I've ever been," said Johnson, a junior who will compete in the 1,000 meters. "I'm stepping into a brand-new field, just doing things I've never done before. So, I'm going into this to continue what I've been doing and just keep going."

Delaney Bond doesn't have the benefit of been there, done that. She's making her first trip to Nationals in her first year of college.

"In the end you've been around the track however many times you've run, and you can't let it affect you so much that you feel like it's completely different," said Bond, a freshman who will compete in the 600 meters. "Obviously, if you did something to get there then go do it again."

Bond and Johnson will be joined by nine teammates in the event that begins Thursday at the Alachua County Sports & Events Center at Celebration Pointe in Gainesville, Florida. Hailey Nordhus will run the women's 1,000 meters and the women's and men's 4x800-meter relay teams will also compete.

Johnson, who hails from Lindsborg, is seeded second in the highly competitive 1,000 meters with a time of 2:25.27. He is KWU's highest ever National seed.

Johnson won three events at the Kansas Conference Championships and was named the Male Track Athlete of the Meet. He said previous experience at NAIA indoor and outdoor meets have taught him to take a more chilled approach.

"Indoor and outdoor my freshman year I was kind of getting that high of going to Nationals the first time – going out and being sporadic, not racing properly," he said. "I'm more comfortable every time for sure, it feels like another meet honestly. It's not the end of the world, it's not an Olympic final, it's just another part of the season for me." 

Coach Kyle Hiser likes Johnson's chances.

"We have the NAIA national record holder there with the top seed and then there's a lot of people right behind him, and Wyatt gets to lead that charge," he said. "He looked really strong in all of his races this year. The 1K is one I think he's really built for with his speed and his strength."

Bond, a native of Rocky Ford, Colo., is the 25th seed. She placed third in the 600 meters at the KCAC Championships and had a National qualifying time of 1:36.33.

Bond is no stranger to success on the big stage having won three events in the Colorado state high school meet last spring.

"You're not trying to run a certain time to hit a standard to make it (to Nationals)," she said. "You've already done that so you're going to go try to finish as high as you can place-wise.

"One of the best things that I was told in high school was that it hurts for everyone, so you might as well be able to push through it longer than the next person. We all tie our shoes the same way, we just get on the track to run and lay down our best effort."

Bond has had a spectacular freshman season, one in which she broke the 600-meter school record three times.

"The speed and strength she has is second to none," Hiser said. "We race in a really tough conference, and she got third at the conference championships. Lost to two girls that have the national qualifying mark. Anytime you have a freshman (at Nationals) as an individual it's special."

Bond also will run a leg in the 4x800-meter relay.

Hailey Nordhus: A sophomore from Seneca, Nordhus is making her first trip to Nationals as an individual qualifier but has National experience running on a relay team.

She is seeded 18th with a time of 2:59.26 and placed third in the KCAC event.

"It's just getting out there and experiencing what it's like to be an individual," Hiser said. "When you have a relay, you're warming up with your teammates and with everyone, but an individual can be a little bit more lonely. Hopefully we get that experience knocked out and see what she can do."

Nordhus, like Bond, will compete in the 4x800 relay.

Women's 4x800-meter relay: The Coyotes are seeded 11th with a qualifying time of 9:19.63. They won the event at the KCAC Championships.

Joining Bond and Nordhus on the team are junior Shelby Lingle and sophomore Lauryn Mikkelson.

"That group is young and just really ready to go," Hiser said. "They've been hitting their stride really well so they're just rounding into form late in the year. They're three seconds off eighth which is the place to make finals."

Men's 4x800-meter relay: KWU is the 14th seed with a time of 7:44.00 and won the KCAC championship. The team consists of freshmen Jude Nelson and Braulio Torres, senior Nick Martinez and junior Triston Cottone.

"Triston and Nick have some have Nationals experience and then the other two are freshmen," Hiser said. "For them it's just getting out there and putting themselves in the race. This might be the deepest it's ever been, so just get out there and see what we've got with a group that has some experience and some newcomers to the meet. Kind of getting their feet wet."

Schedule: The relay teams run their qualifying races on Thursday. On Friday, Bond will compete in the 600 meters, and Nordhus and Johnson will run their 1,000-meter races. Finals, which consist of the top eight qualifiers in each event, are Saturday.