ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Feb. 26) — Five Central Washington University indoor track and field standouts, looking to improve their chances of making it into the 2015 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships, have a final opportunity to boost their seasonal marks Saturday.
That's when they'll compete at the Seattle Pacific University Final Qualifier, to be held at the University of Washington Dempsey Indoor facility in Seattle.
The Wildcat competitors will include, on the women's side,
Becki Duhamel, in both the shot put and weight throw;
Dani Eggleston, 3,000 meters;
McKenna Emmert, pole vault; Tayler Fetting, high jump, and, for the men,
Luke Plummer, long jump.
Plummer, who is tied for 10th nationally in the triple jump (49-5), will compete in the long jump instead, where he is still looking to hit the NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark (23-06). His top seasonal mark is 22-11 ¼.
"His mark in the triple jump is one we are confident enough in that he should be OK [to qualify for nationals]," said CWU head track and field coach
Kevin Adkisson. "A final shot at a long jump will be good training as he sets his sights toward peaking for the nationals in the triple jump."
Eggleston will run the 3,000 meters, where she, too, will look to meet the NCAA Division II provisional mark (10:01.47). Her best time this season has been 10:04.68. Eggleston has already met the qualifying mark in the 5,000-meter run, though it is just the nation's 29th best time.
"They did not elect to offer that event [5,000] for this meet," Adkisson points out. "She has a great chance at a provisional [mark] at the shorter distance."
If time permits, Fettig will also participate in the long jump, said Adkisson. Fettig, who has long jumped 17-7 ½, is looking for a mark of 18-0 ¼ to meet the national qualifying standard.
Only declared athletes who have recorded one of the top 16 marks in the country will receive invitations to the national championship meet, March 13-14, hosted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Birmingham CrossPlex.
Heading into the Saturday event: Fettig (5-8) is tied—with six others—for the country's ninth best high jump mark; Duhamel is 21st in the shot put (45-11 ¼) and 22nd in the weight throw (57-10 ¼); and Emmert (11-9 ¾) is tied for 30th.
Saturday's meet is scheduled to begin at about 4:30 p.m.
