LINCOLN, Neb. - Nebraska Wesleyan University will send eight qualifiers to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the NCAA announced Friday night. The national meet will take place Thursday through Saturday, May 22-24, at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
NWU's contingent includes five women and three men. The Prairie Wolves qualified athletes in six different events, with women's javelin and women's discus each featuring two NWU competitors.
Sophomore Emmilly Berglund earned her second consecutive trip to nationals in the women's shot put. The conference runner-up recorded a season-best mark of 14.13m (46'4.25") at the Doane Outdoor Invitational in April, entering the championships as the eighth seed overall. Berglund finished fourth at the indoor national meet this year to earn All-American honors.
Nebraska Wesleyan will feature two competitors in the women's javelin with senior Aliah Clarke and graduate Avery Decker both qualifying. Clarke enters as the 14th seed after her qualifying throw of 41.83m (137'3") at the Augie Final Qualifier this week. Decker, making her fourth straight appearance at nationals, qualified with a season-best 47.50m (155'10") mark that ranks 1st nationally.
The women's discus will also showcase multiple Prairie Wolves as senior Anna Lundahl and sophomore Kaelyn Means both punched their tickets to Ohio. Lundahl's heave of 46.98m (154'1") at the Central Nebraska Challenge ranks ninth in Division III this season. Means, in her second collegiate campaign, sits 10th nationally with a mark of 46.09m (151'2"), making her one of just four sophomores to qualify in the event.
On the men's side, freshmen Sam Clements will make his second career appearance at the national championships in the shot put. Clements, who finished 17th at the indoor championships earlier this year, enters with the 13th best mark in Division III this season at 16.88m (55'4.75"). Clements looks to capture his first All-American honor.
Senior Eli Mackowski qualified in the men's high jump after clearing 2.10m (6'10.75") at last month's Loper Invitational. The mark puts him fifth on the outdoor record book and positions Mackowski as the fourth seed entering the championships.
Rounding out the qualifiers is junior Colin Wojtkiewicz in the men's hammer throw. The second-time national outdoor qualifier launched a personal-best throw of 59.22m (194'3") at the Prairie Wolf Outdoor Invitation to earn the 17th seed nationally.
The NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships will begin Thursday afternoon with the women's discus throw at 1:00 p.m. ET. The Prairie Wolves' first competitors will be Means and Lundahl in the women's discus throw preliminary round. The complete schedule of events can be found on the championship page at ncaa.com.
Nebraska Wesleyan's men's team enters the championships ranked 52nd nationally in the USTFCCCA rankings, while the women sit at 18th overall.
