FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

2013 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships Qualifiers

May 19, 2013 - The North Central College men's track and field team will once again be well-represented at the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships, securing 12 entries in eight events at this year's meet, to be held Thursday through Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Among the eighth-ranked Cardinals' qualifiers are three All-Americans, including a national champion in pole vaulter Josh Winder, who is this weekend's top-seeded competitor with a clearance of 17 feet, 3/4 inch achieved Apr. 20 at the Wheaton College Don Church Twilight Meet. A five-time All-American and the 2012 indoor national titleist, Winder is preparing for his sixth national championship meet and has placed no lower than third at any championship the past two years. North Central will also be represented in the pole vault by Frank Wleklinski, whose mark of 15'10" accomplished on Friday at the Cardinals' Gregory Invitational qualifies him for the outdoor championships for the second straight year.

Distance runner John Crain will be competing in two events, having qualified second-fastest in the 5,000-meter run (14:12.80) and sixth-best in the 10,000-meter run (29:55.49). Crain's qualifying mark in the 10,000 came Mar. 28 in North Central's First Chance Invitational, while his 5,000-meter mark came Apr. 24 at the Drake Relays and is just 0.4 seconds from the fastest Division III mark in the nation this season. Crain qualified for last year's outdoor championships in the 5,000, placing 16th, before finishing second in the event at the 2013 indoor championships in March.

Crain will be one of four Cardinals toeing the line in the 10,000, along with Daniel Kerley (eighth, 30:01.00), Roger Klein (17th, 30:18.75) and Travis Morrison (20th, 30:26.43). Kerley and Klein both achieved their qualiying times at the Drake Relays, while Morrison's came at the First Chance Invitational. Kerley is competing in the event for the third straight year, having earned All-America honors each of the past two seasons by placing fifth in 2011 and seventh in 2012. Klein and Morrison will be participating in their first national championship on the track.

Also among North Central's qualifiers in the distance events is Jordan Kremer, who recorded a personal-best time of 9:09.44 on Friday in the Gregory Invitational to claim the final qualifying spot in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. This will also be Kremer's first national championship meet.

Zach Heerspink has qualified for national-championship competition in the high jump for the sixth time, ranking 10th among this year's entrants with a clearance of 6'9 3/4" at this year's College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Outdoor Championships. A two-time All-American in the high jump, Heerspink will also compete in the long jump this weekend, with a qualifying distance of 23'8 3/4" recorded at the Chicagoland Outdoor Championships which ranks 13th nationally.

Joey Michals is preparing for his first national championship meet, having qualified 15th-fastest in the 400-meter hurdles by clocking a time of 53.05 seconds at the Dr. Keeler Invitational. Michals is also scheduled to compete with teammates Abraham Oshipitan, Derek Nelson and Dionte Hackler in the 4-by-400-meter relay. The quartet ranks 13th among qualifying teams after securing a time of 3:14.78 at the Gregory Invitational on Friday.

The Cardinals are six-time outdoor national champions. They placed fifth at last year's outdoor championship before an eighth-place finish at the 2013 indoor nationals.

The pole vault, long jump and 10,000-meter run will be contested on Thursday, as will the preliminary heats of the steeplechase, 400-meter hurdles and 4-by-400 relay. The high jump will be held on Friday, while the 5,000 will be on Saturday along with finals of the steeplechase, 400 hurdles and relay. A full schedule and live event-by-event results are available at http://www.uwlathletics.com/sports/2012/12/13/MTRACK_1213120030.aspx?id=122.