Dordt University men’s track and field standout Payton Mauldin will compete in a “last-chance” meet in California in an attempt to qualify for the 2024 United States Olympic Team Trials.
Mauldin will run in the 400m at the Last Chance Sprint Series, a meet held at the Notre Dame High School Athletic Facility in Sherman Oaks, California, on Friday. Race time is set for around 6:30pm (CST).
Mauldin cruised to a first-place finish in the 400 at the Drake Relays. Mauldin is a four-time national champion and 17-time NAIA All-American heading into his final season running for the Defenders track and field team next fall. Mauldin won a national title as a member of the Defenders 4×800 relay in 2021 (outdoor), in the 4×400 relay in 2024 (both indoor and outdoor) and in the 600m in 2024 (indoor) where he set the NAIA record and ran the third fastest collegiate time (1:15.84). Most recently, Mauldin ran a 44.8 split in leading the Defenders 4×400 relay to the national championship last month in Marion, Indiana.
Mauldin has currently hit the provisional time to qualify for the Olympic Trials (46 seconds) and is ranked 49th in the United States on World Athletics. Mauldin will look to hit the automatic qualifying time (45.2) for the Olympic Trials which will be held on the legendary Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on June 21-30. Mauldin’s current time could also qualify for the Trials depending on the number of entrants and declarations.
