Ten Westmont track and field athletes travel to Marion, Indiana this week to participate in the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships to be conducted at Indiana Wesleyan University. The championship event will be held Thursday through Saturday.
Six men and four women will compete in 11 events in which All-American and national champion honors are at stake. In order to qualify as an all-American, an athlete must finish in the top six.
Senior Brent Lagace and freshman Andrew Kolodinski are among the favorites in the men’s javelin. Lagace and Kolodinski both shattered the school record in the discus this season. Lagace’s throw of 68.15 meters (223-7) at the GSAC Track and Field Championships was the second longest throw among NAIA athletes this year. Kolodinski’s mark of 66.75 meters (219-0), set at the Occidental Invitational, is the fourth best qualifying mark in the NAIA. Lagace’s mark exceeds the best throw at the 2009 NAIA Championships by 0.36 meters (one foot, two inches). The javelin will be contested beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday (all times EDT).
Jacob Goodin will compete in the men’s 1500 meters after posting the NAIA’s eighth fastest qualifying time (3:51.29) at the Occidental Invitational. The junior dropped more than five seconds off his GSAC Championship time (3:56.51) to earn the automatic qualifying mark and position himself to compete for all-American honors. The 1500 meter prelims will be held on Thursday at 1:55 p.m. The finals are scheduled for 3:10 p.m. on Saturday.
Competing in the men’s 800 meters will be junior Eric Williams who also posted his best mark of the year at the Occidental Invitational. Williams’ time of 1:53.33 ranks seventeenth among the NAIA qualifiers. The 800 meter prelims will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday with the semifinals contested at 3:35 p.m. on Friday. The finals are scheduled for 4:40 p.m.
Also competing for the Warriors are junior Nathan Kemp in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and freshman Matthew Day in the 5,000 meters. Kemp posted a season best time of 9:37.10 in the GSAC Championships to earn a provisional qualification. Day’s top mark of 15:08.35 in the 5,000 came at the Occidental Invitational. Kemp will run in the steeplechase prelims at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. The finals are scheduled for 2:20 p.m. on Saturday. The prelims of the men’s 5,000 are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday with the finals coming at 5:35 p.m. on Saturday.
Junior Chrissa Trudelle will lead the Warriors in the women’s events by competing in both the 5,000 meter and 10,000 meter races. Trudelle earned automatic qualifications in both events, posting a time of 38:13.96 in the 10,000 meter at the GSAC Championship and 17:56.17 in the 5,000 meters at the Occidental Invitational. The 10,000 meter finals are scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. The 5,000 meter prelims are set for a 6:40 p.m. start on Friday with the finals on Saturday at 5:10 p.m.
Also competing in the 5,000 meters is freshman Danica Rosendale whose provisional qualification time of 18:23.92 was attained at the GSAC Championships.
Competing in the 3,000 meter women’s steeplechase will be sophomore Kate Stuart. Her time of 11:44.53 at the CSU Los Angeles Last Chance Qualifier earned a provisional qualification to the national championship. The women’s steeplechase prelims will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday with the finals scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Kristin Hempy will represent the Warriors in the women’s javelin competition beginning at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hempy, who competed in the heptathlon this season for the Warriors, earned a provisional mark of 39.19 meters (128-7) at the GSAC Championships.
Fans can obtain results by visiting the Warrior website at www.westmont.edu/athletics, or be subscribing to the Westmont Athletics text message service. To subscribe, please visit the Warrior website.
