March 5, 2012
19 Individuals and One Relay Qualify for NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
Men's Participants
Women's Participants
The NCAA Division III Men's and women's Track and Field Committee announced the qualifiers for the 2012 Division III Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships and the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) will be well-represented with 19 individuals selected and one relay team. The championship will be held Friday and Saturday, March 9-10, at Charles Benson Bear ’39 Recreation and Athletic Center at Grinnell College in Waverly, Iowa.
Women's Participants
The NCAA Division III Men's and women's Track and Field Committee announced the qualifiers for the 2012 Division III Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships and the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) will be well-represented with 19 individuals selected and one relay team. The championship will be held Friday and Saturday, March 9-10, at Charles Benson Bear ’39 Recreation and Athletic Center at Grinnell College in Waverly, Iowa.
For each woman’s individual event including the pentathlon, the top 15 declared student-athletes were accepted into the competition. For each men’s individual event including the heptathlon, the top 13 declared student-athletes were accepted into the competition. For each relay event contested, the top 10 declared relay teams — one per school — were accepted into the competition.
On the women’s side, Buffalo State, Cortland and Oneonta lead the way with three women making the trip, followed by Plattsburgh with two qualifiers and one for Geneseo.
Buffalo State will be represented by Erica Johnson, Sasha Henry in the 60-meter dash and Jazmin Dunham will run the 60-meter hurdles.
Johnson enters as the No. 1 seed with the fastest time in the nation this season at 7.55 seconds. The senior is the defending champion in the 55-meter dash (event was converted to the 60-meter dash this year), and was the runner-up in 2010. She enters the meet looking for her seventh All-America certificate.
Henry, a junior, is making her first appearance at the NCAA meet. She enters with the third-fastest seed time of 7.65 seconds and is riding the momentum of a successful SUNYAC Championship where she was named Outstanding Track Athlete of the Meet after winning the 60 and 200-meter dashes.
Dunham is a sophomore and enters with the nation's fifth-fastest time at 8.80 seconds. Dunham won the 60-meter hurdles championship at SUNYACs, and is in search of her second All-America certificate. She was part of the runner-up 4x100-meter relay at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Johnson enters as the No. 1 seed with the fastest time in the nation this season at 7.55 seconds. The senior is the defending champion in the 55-meter dash (event was converted to the 60-meter dash this year), and was the runner-up in 2010. She enters the meet looking for her seventh All-America certificate.
Henry, a junior, is making her first appearance at the NCAA meet. She enters with the third-fastest seed time of 7.65 seconds and is riding the momentum of a successful SUNYAC Championship where she was named Outstanding Track Athlete of the Meet after winning the 60 and 200-meter dashes.
Dunham is a sophomore and enters with the nation's fifth-fastest time at 8.80 seconds. Dunham won the 60-meter hurdles championship at SUNYACs, and is in search of her second All-America certificate. She was part of the runner-up 4x100-meter relay at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Oneonta senior Lauren Brunetto is making her third trip to the NCAA championships and will be entered in the 800-meter run with the 13th fastest time of 2:15.25. She will be joined by Geneseo junior Cailin Kowalewski and Plattsburgh senior Amy McCasland. Kowalewski is ranked eighth after a second place finish and school record time of 2:12.57 at the ECAC Indoor Championships. McCasland won the individual crown at the SUNYAC Championship two weeks ago and enters at the 11th seed with a time of 2:14.27.
Cortland junior Jordan Naylon will be the lone SUNYAC representative in the one mile event. She is seeded 10th with a time of 4:57.98.
Cortland senior Alyson Dalton and Plattsburgh senior Stefanie Braun will face off in the 5,000 meter run. Dalton holds the sixth seed with a time of 17:14.32 that she ran at the Boston University Valentine Invitational last month. Braun is a two-time SUNYAC Champion in the event and enters as the No. 15 seed with a time of 17:26.70.
The conference will have three women competing in the field events. Oneonta senior Sarah Timmons will compete in the hammer throw where she is seeded second with a toss of 18.40 meters that set a new conference record on Feb. 4. Oneonta junior Kacy Boburka will be making her second trip to nationals on the indoor stage. Boburka will be seeded sixth in the high jump entering the meet with a height of 1.70 meters.
Cortland sophomore Sarah Bonnell returns the NCAA meet and will compete in the long jump. She is seeded 13th in the event with a leap of 5.61 meters which won the SUNYAC title on Feb. 26th in a new meet record distance, breaking the old record of 5.54 meters from 1986.
You can follow all of the action for this weekend’s championships at http://www.ncaa.com/championships/trackfield-indoor-women/d3
On the men’s side, seven individuals and one relay will be headed to Iowa from five different SUNYAC schools.
Geneseo senior Wenley Louis has the top seed mark in the long jump of 7.77 meters. Two weeks ago he won the SUNYAC individual title in the long jump and triple jump to be named the Outstanding Male Field Athlete.
SUNYAC Outstanding Track Athlete Sean Bernstein will compete in the 60 meter dash. He is the No. 13 seed with a time of 6.91.
Geneseo distance duo of Lee Berube and Eddie Novara will race in the 5,000 meter. Novara is seeded seventh (14:30.81) and Berube is tenth (14:35.76). Berube is a two time SUNYAC champion in the event and finished as the national cross country runner up in the fall.
The SUNYAC has three competitors in the men’s pole vault, led by Brockport junior Zach Ferrara who is ranked sixth. Ferrara won the SUNYAC title and is coming off a third place performance at the ECAC Championships where he set the conference record with a height of 5.01 meters. Cortland senior Ryan Pericozzi returns to the national stage with an eighth place seed (5.00m) and Fredonia senior Broncho Rollins is the No. 13 seed (4.86m).
Cortland’s 4x400 meter relay made the cut for the second straight year. The Red Dragon quartet of Eric Banks, Phill Wiltshire, Neil-Ryan Yodice and Stephan Linton are ranked ninth with a time of 3:18.21.
You can follow all of the action for this weekend’s championships at http://www.ncaa.com/championships/trackfield-indoor-men/d3
