Quintet Of Chippewas Hit The Big Stage

Thursday, May 27

Jacksonville, Fla.

1:30 p.m.

Central Michigan University

NCAA East Preliminary Championships

CMU's Quiara Wheeler, Marissa Dunn, Kasey Staley, Maya Bennett, and Erin Howard will compete on Thursday at the NCAA East Preliminary in Jacksonville, Fla.

Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw

5/26/2021 5:13:00 PM | Track & Field

Track & field student-athletes eye trip to NCAA Championships

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Show time for five Central Michigan track & field student-athletes.

CMU's Maya Bennett, Marissa Dunn, Erin Howard, Kasey Staley and Quiara Wheeler are scheduled to partake in the NCAA East Preliminary at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

The meet runs from Wednesday-Saturday.

Each event is comprised of 48 student-athletes with the top 12 advancing to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. from June 9-12. There, they will be joined by the top 12 finishers from the West Preliminary, which is scheduled for Texas A&M this weekend.

Bennett, Dunn and Wheeler will partake in the hammer throw, which is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday; Staley will partake in the pole vault, which begins at 3 p.m.; Howard will compete in the shot put and the discus. The shot put begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday, while the discus is scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Those 24 per event who qualify for the NCAA Championships earn All-America honors. The top eight are first team, the next eight are second team, and the final eight are honorable mention.

In short, getting to Eugene guarantees a student-athlete All-America status.

"This is the make or break; this is the big one," CMU director of track & field/cross country Jenny Swieton said. "If you make it out of here, you're going to be an All-American."

Both Wheeler and Howard are seeking to repeat as All-America. Wheeler was a second teamer after placing 10^th in March at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw; Howard was 19^th, earning honorable mention, at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the shot put.

"I think it makes all the difference in the world to have a group all together supporting one another and also enjoying their time here together and their experience," Swieton said. "Yes, this is a business trip, absolutely, but we can still enjoy ourselves and take in all the great things about this experience. Having your teammates here makes that way easier."

Staley and Bennett are making their first appearance in the preliminary meet.

"You know if you get here, you have a shot," Swieton said. "At the end of the day you have nothing to lose. Just give it everything you have so let's just go for it.

"This is my fourth year (at CMU); I've been here for all of, if not the majority, of their careers, and just thinking back to four years ago where they were and how they've all grown as athletes and students and women and as human beings, it's pretty cool."