COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Four Lindsey Wilson College race walkers ranked in the top 10 nationally lead a pack of five Blue Raider competitors at the 2010 NAIA Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field National Championships, starting on Thursday in Johnson City, Tenn., at the Memorial Center Mini Dome.

Junior Nicole Furnish leads the race walkers with a No. 2 national ranking earned by a qualifying time of 14 minutes and 43.24 seconds in the 3,000-meter event. Senior Amanda Johnson ranks seventh with a time of 15:40.24, while junior Chelsea Conway rounds out the group at No. 9 with a qualifying mark of 16:23.24.

Senior Kristina Wimsatt will compete in the long jump where she is currently ranked 19th in the NAIA with a qualifying effort of 5.36 meters.

The lone men's qualifier is newcomer Jairus Kipkemoi in the 3,000-meter run. Kipkemoi qualified with a time of 8:49.62 to rank 28th in the nation in the event.

Kipkemoi captured the only win of the day with a first-place finish in the 3,000-meter run at the DePauw (Ind.) University Invitational on Feb. 14. The freshman earned 10 points with his time of 8 minutes and 57.02 seconds.

The three race walkers from Lindsey Wilson all qualified for nationals at the Cedarville (Ohio) University Invitational on Jan. 15. Johnson -- who finished in 15:50.68 -- earned six points for her fourth-place finish. Furnish (16:49.15) finished seventh for three points and Conway (17:07.78) finished eighth for two points.

Wimsatt had a near-perfect day in the long jump to qualify at the DePauw Invitational. She won the event while setting a program record.

Wimsatt's program record was one of three to fall during the meet. The Owensboro, Ky., native recorded her win with a jump of 17 feet and 7 inches (5.46 meters) in the long jump.

To follow along with all the action at the championships, click here to visit the NAIA's Indoor Track & Field Championship web site.