Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU Will Send 11 to East Preliminary
5/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | MTF
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Eleven Central Michigan student-athletes have received bids to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships East Preliminary.
The event runs from Thursday-Saturday, May 28-30, at North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. The West Preliminary will run simultaneously at Texas.
The top 12 finishers in each event (top six in each relay) at both preliminary competitions advance to the NCAA Championships at Oregon.
"For who we have this year and the season we've had, I think 11 is a good number," said CMU director of track & field, Mark Guthrie. "I think you just have to go in there and compete and see where it's going to get you. So much can happen weather-wise and with things you just can't control. You go in, you compete well, and let the chips fall where they may."
On paper, the Chippewas' best hope to advance to the Championships comes in the form of throwers Cole Walderzak and Devene Brown, along with distance runner Abbey Kelto.
Brown is seeded 11th in the women's discus and 12th in the shot put, while Walderzak is seeded 17th in the men's hammer throw and 19th in the discus.
Kelto, who is winding down a remarkable senior season, is seeded 13th in the women's 10,000-meter run.
Kelto holds the school record in that event and the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while Brown holds school marks in both the shot put and discus. Walderzak has posted CMU-best mark in the hammer throw this season.
Both Brown and Walderzak are juniors.
Two other CMU women, Bridget Doughty and Kylee Dobbelaere, have qualified for the Preliminary. Doughty, a senior, will compete in the 400 hurdles; Dobbelaere, a sophomore, will compete in the hammer throw.
For the CMU men, sophomore Ziemowit Dutkiewicz has qualified in the 400 hurdles and as one-fourth of the Chippewas' 4x400 relay team. Malik Vasquez, Clay Holman and Erick Huertas join Dutkiewicz in the relay.
The Chippewas' Lorenzo Wells has qualified in the 100-meter dash, while Dylan Banagis joins Walderzak as a qualifier in both the hammer throw and the discus.
Players Mentioned
