CLEVELAND, Tenn. - After coming painfully close to hitting a national qualifying standard at the River States Conference Championships, Josiah Kocis took advantage of his last opportunity to qualify Saturday night.

Kocis punched his ticket to the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in the 10,000-meter run Saturday, hitting the national 'B' standard at the Lee Last Chance.

In his fourth-place run, Kocis crossed the tape in 30:48.22, well under the minimum standard of 30:58.

Saturday's breakthrough came two weeks after a heartbreaking finish at the RSC Championships, where Kocis missed qualifying by 0.69 seconds.

This marks the second time the senior from Island Pond, Vt. has qualified for the outdoor championships, previously reaching in the half marathon in 2022. He's also qualified for nationals in cross country on three different occasions.

The 2025 NAIA Outdoor National Championships will be held in Marion, Ind. on May 21-23.

Kocis' distance teammate Carson Milner also competed Saturday, finishing 19th in the 1,500-meter run in a time of 3:54.39.