Nine Empire 8 Student-Athletes Qualify to Compete at Upcoming NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
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St. John Fisher, Stevens, and Utica to be Represented at This Weekend's National Championship Meet
Nine Empire 8 Conference student-athletes will compete at the 2019 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships as the NCAA released the championship qualifiers over the weekend. Utica will send a program-record four student-athletes to Boston for the two-day event, while Stevens will send three from their programs, and St. John Fisher will send two men's athletes.
The two-day championship event will be held March 8-9 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston, Massachusetts, with the University of Massachusetts, Boston serving as the host.
CLOSER LOOK
Stevens Gina Dello Russo and Katie Weeks both qualified and will compete in a pair of events. Dello Russo will run in both the 200-meter and 400-meter events, while Weeks will contest the Shot Put and the Weight Throw. Dello Russo has one of the conference's best opportunities to win a national title this weekend as her time in the 400m (55.73) is second-best heading into the event, while her effort in the 200m (24.76) is fourth-best.
On the men's side, four Utica student-athletes will compete, all in field events. Keanu Heedram will compete in the Shot Put, Marquis Simpson in the Long Jump, Kyle Swiecki in the Heptathlon, and Ka'Sean Watlington in the Triple Jump. The four student-athletes qualifying for nationals is a program record.
Fisher will send both Eddie Mahana and Kyle Rollins to Boston for this weekend's NCAA Championship meet. Rollins is tied for the top seed in the High Jump with his mark of 2.10 meters heading into the event, while he will also compete in the Triple Jump. Mahana qualified with the eighth-fastest time in the 60-meter hurdles. Stevens' Alex Kainer will run in the 200-meter dash and has run the fifth-fastest time (21.56) heading into the championship meet.
For each individual event contested, the top 20 declared student-athletes were accepted into the competition.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com and https://youtu.be/wzL4HcDoUUQ