DES MOINES, Iowa – Wednesday marks the continuation
of the National Championship quests for eight America East student-athletes as
they begin competition at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field
Championships at Drake Stadium. Action begins on Wednesday and concludes
Saturday, June 9.
A
pair of Vermont Catamounts and conference champions will compete during the first
day of the Championship. Nika Ouellette, an honorable mention All-American in
2011, and junior Kirsten Weberg will get an early taste of national
competition. Ouellette finished 19th in the javelin throw last year
and dominated America East competition this year winning conference gold by
over 25 feet. Just a sophomore, Ouellette enters the meet as the No. 10 seed
after posting a 48.81-meter throw during regional competition. Weberg,
meanwhile, broke the school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:03.72) at
the East Region meet en route to qualifying as the No. 8 overall seed. Weberg’s
semifinal race begins at 8:45 ET.
Vermont
has a league-high three competitors competing this week in Iowa. The remaining
member of the trio, senior Morgan Powers, competes in the 10,000-meter run on
Thursday night at 9:45 ET.
Thursday
will also see the semifinal heats for both the men’s and women’s 1,500-meter
runs. America East will have three student-athletes competing headlined by the
2012 national champion in the women’s indoor mile, Stony Brook’s Lucy Van
Dalen. A four-time qualifier in the event, Van Dalen qualified eighth after
running a 4:17.03 at the East Region meet. The senior from New Zealand will be
making her seventh overall appearance at a national championship meet.
On
the men’s side, Boston University’s Rich Peters and Binghamton’s Erik van Ingen
look to qualify for Saturday’s final. The United States Track and Field and
Cross Country Coach’s Association (USTFCCCA) announced Monday that van Ingen’s
coach, Annette Acuff, is the Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year. Van Ingen
qualified No. 21 but has a wealth of national championship experience making
his seventh overall NCAA Championship appearance. Peters, who finished as the
national runner-up in the indoor mile, is the No. 20 qualifier after winning
his heat at the East Region meet in 3:48.36.
The
men’s semifinal races begin at 7:15 ET on Thursday with the women’s races
following shortly thereafter.
The
USTFCCCA Northeast Regional Women’s Field Athlete of the Year, Boston University’s
Allison Barwise, will compete in the high jump late Friday afternoon (5:30 ET).
Barwise cleared 1.87 meters at the ECAC Championship and captured the East
Region title in the high jump (1.81m) on her way to qualifying sixth. The America
East’s Most Outstanding Field Performer and Coaches’ Award winner at the
outdoor championship, Barwise finished fifth at the indoor national
championship meet to earn All-America status this year.
Rounding
out America East’s representatives in Iowa this week is Maine’s Corey Conner.
The Black Bear senior, making the third NCAA Championship meet appearance of
her career, enters the championship ranked 17th in the 5,000-meter
run and will race Saturday afternoon at 1:19 ET.