Track & Field athletes make final push for nationals
INDIANOLA, Iowa - While a large percentage of Simpson's student body will flee to warmer weather and sunny skies for Spring Break, four members of the track and field team have a unique destination: Wisconsin.
Bayley Fleshner (60h), Lauren Martin (60m), Isaac Frazier (HJ) and Dylan Kalinay (60h) travel to the Badger State for National Qualifying meets on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7. The quartet will compete at the UW-Platteville Final Qualifying Meet in Platteville on Friday, then travel to Stevens Point for the Point National Qualifier on Saturday.
The NCAA Division III Championships will be held March 13-14 at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C. To qualify, women competing in individual events need to be in the top 17 on the final national list while men need to fall in the top 15.
- Women's Indoor Qualifying List
- Men's Indoor Qualifying List
- UW-Platteville Final Qualifying Meet Info. (Field events begin at 4 p.m., running at 4:30 p.m.)
- Stevens Point National Qualifier Info. (Field events begin at 10:30 a.m., running at 11 a.m.)
National Qualifier Preview
Fleshner, a senior, will compete in the 60-meter hurdles. A four-time all-Iowa Conference performer in the event, Fleshner just missed a shot at the indoor national meet a year ago before qualifying in the 100 hurdles outdoors. Her season-best time of 9.16 seconds is No. 45 in the Division III. The current cutoff is 8.94 and Fleshner's career-best is 8.97.
Martin, a senior, will compete in the 60-meter dash. Enjoying the best season of her career, Martin posted a personal-best time of 7.97 seconds to place fourth at the IIAC Championships. She currently ranks outside of the top 50 in Division III. The current cutoff is 7.77.
Frazier, a sophomore, will compete in the high jump. The multi-talented Frazier cleared a career-high 6-feet, 8-inches early in the season, currently the No. 23 mark in Division III. The current cutoff is 6-8 3/4.
Kalinay, a freshman, will compete in the 60 hurdles. The first-year had the Iowa Conference's top time going into the IIAC Championships, where he placed fourth, missing all-conference honors by .001 seconds. His top time this season is 8.33 seconds, currently No. 25 in Division III. The current cutoff is 8.28 seconds.
