Track and Field Ready For National Championships
May 23, 2017
DUBUQUE, Iowa – The University of Dubuque track and field teams are sending eight student-athletes to the 2017 NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 25th-27th in Geneva, Ohio.
The UD women qualified five student-athletes in four different events. Danielle Wegter, Shelby Lane and Kelsey Betthauser qualified sixth, 16th and 21st in the discus, respectively. Tanasha Atwater, who was an Indoor All-American in the shot put and weight throw, will participate in both the hammer throw and shot put. Fabiola Ortiz, who was the Iowa Conference Championships MVP, will look to carry that momentum over to the national championships in the 3000m steeplechase where she is ranked 10th.
On the men’s side, three different student-athletes will compete in four events. Blaze Mufin will double up and compete in both the shot put and hammer throw. Murfin was a 2017 Indoor All-American in both the shot put and weight throw. Iowa Conference champion in the 200m dash, Isaiah Ellis has the sixth best time in DIII heading into the national championships. Last but not least, Alex Link is making his second straight trip to the national championships in the discus. After finishing seventh last year and becoming the first UD thrower since 1982 to earn All-American honors, Link will look to become an All-American yet again in the discus as he is bringing in the sixth best toss this season on 51.65 into the weekend.
“The national championships are an incredible spectacle and we’re excited to have some incredible competitors qualified,” said UD head coach Chad Gunnelson. “This is the stage that requires hard, intelligent work to get there and more importantly for it to pay off when it counts. This group has put together an incredible year and I’m very proud of all they’ve done and very excited to watch them compete in one last meet!”
Full Schedule: http://on.ncaa.com/2rITrVP
Live Video: http://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule
Live Stats: http://results.deltatiming.com/ncaa/tf/2017-ncaa-d3-outdoor-championships
The Spartans also had 15 student-athletes, eight men and seven women, be named to All-Central Region team for their performances this year.
Women
Tanasha Atwater Shot Put and Hammer
Rebecca Burmahl Hammer
Shelby Lane Discus
Fabiola Ortiz 1500 Meters, Steeplechase and 5000 Meters
Alyssa Skrove Long Jump
Danielle Wegter Discus
Amanda Zbilski Pole Vault
Men
Blaze Barista Triple Jump
Alec Bass 10,000 Meters
Isaiah Ellis 100 Meters, 200 Meters and 4x100 Relay
Clayton Gray 4×100 Relay
Ryan Kind 4×100 Relay
Alex Link Discus
Blaze Murfin Shot Put, Discuss and Hammer
Colfay Pointer 4×100 Relay
