Five Student-Athletes to Represent Empire 8 at 2022 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships

Men's Indoor Track and Field | 3/9/2022 2:52:56 PM

Nazareth senior Brenna Johnson and junior Kaleb Luton, St. John Fisher graduate student Kyle Rollins and senior Samantha Shea, along with Utica University sophomore Hunter Logan were selected to compete in the 2022 NCAA Men's & Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships set for March 11-12 at the JDL Fast Track Complex in Winston Salem, NC.

Johnson will be the first E8 competitor, as the women’s high jump takes place Friday at 12:50 p.m. Luton will compete in the preliminaries of the 60-meter dash on Friday at 1:55 p.m. If he advances, the finals will take place Saturday at 3 p.m. Shea is set to compete in the 400-meter dash preliminaries Friday at 2:10 p.m. If she advances to the finals, that will commence at 3:10 p.m. Saturday.  Rollins will compete in the high jump starting Saturday at 11 a.m. and triple jump the same afternoon at 2 p.m. Logan is set to compete in the shot put on Saturday at 2 p.m.

For each men’s individual event contested, including the heptathlon, the top 20 declared student-athletes were accepted into the competition.  For each women’s individual event contested, including the pentathlon, the top 20 declared student-athletes were accepted into the competition.  For each relay event contested, the top 12 declared relay teams, one per institution, were accepted into the competition.
 
Johnson, originally from Cortland, NY, qualified for the NCAA Championships in the long jump with a leap of 5.66 meters (18 feet, 7 inches) in winning the Empire 8 Conference title at Utica on Feb. 26. It will be Johnson's second NCAA appearance as she also qualified during the outdoor season last spring. Johnson, who is seeded 16th in the event, has become one of the conference’s most decorated performers in her four-year career at Nazareth.

Luton, a native of Amherst, NY, will compete in the 60-meter hurdles after he broke the school record in that event with a time of 8.13 seconds at the Fastrack Invitational at Staten Island on Feb. 11. Luton is seeded eighth overall in the field of 20 student-athletes competing.

Rollins is the No. 1 national seed in the high jump, having cleared 2.20 meters and is the No. 4 seed in the triple jump, with a leap of 14.88 meters. An eight-time All-American during his career, Rollins, a native of Groveland, NY, is the two-defending national outdoor champion in the high jump, having won the event at both the 2019 and 2021 NCAA Championships. This season, Rollins claimed his fourth straight Empire 8 Indoor Championship Field Athlete of the Meet honor. He swept the long, triple and high jump events at both championships. Last weekend at the AARTFC Championships, Rollins set a new personal, facility, and meet record in the high jump, clearing a height of 2.20 meters (7' 2.5"). With the jump, Rollins claimed first place in the meet, and tied for third place in the all-time NCAA DIII record in the event. He was named the USTFCCCA National Indoor Track Athlete of the Week for his efforts.

Shea is making her first appearance for the Cardinals at nationals after qualifying for the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.21 seconds in winning the Empire 8 Championship in the event at Utica on Feb. 26. A native of North Tonawanda, NY, Shea spent three seasons competing at Division I University of Buffalo before transferring to St. John Fisher. She is seeded 20th in the event.
 
Logan, a native of Fort Plain, NY, has made a major impact for Utica after transferring from Herkimer College. This season, he won the Empire 8 Championship and was the runner-up at the All-Atlantic Region meet in the shot put. The mark that sealed his national qualification came at one of the nation's largest indoor meets, the Valentine's Invitational hosted by Boston University. That weekend, Logan recorded an electrifying 16.42 meter toss. That mark places him as the second-best performer in school history, and it stands as the nation's ninth-best mark heading into the national championships. He is one of only three men in school history to exceed 16 meters indoors. 
 
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.
 
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