Pointers Look to Field Success at NCAA Outdoor Track Championships

The UW-Stevens Point men�s and women�s track and field teams will look to field events for success at this weekend�s NCAA Division III outdoor championships in Canton, N.Y.

The Pointers have 15 athletes taking part in the national meet as the men�s team has nine individual qualifiers in eight events and one relay, while the women�s team has six qualifiers in seven different events. The top qualifiers for both teams come in field events with eight athletes competing that all rank in the top 10 nationally.

Sophomore Amanda Nechuta has the best opportunity to be a high scorer for the women�s team, ranking third nationally in the shot put and sixth in the discus. Teammate Julia Slabosheski brings the nation�s fifth best discus throw into the meet, bettering her personal best by over 13 feet at last weekend�s UW-Oshkosh Invitational.

Melissa Seefeldt ranks fourth in the country in the hammer throw and Jody Butkowski rounds out the field event qualifiers as the seventh ranked triple jumper in the meet. UW-Stevens Point also hopes to earn some points in running events from Teresa Stanley in the 3000-meter steeplechase and Megan Craig in the 1500-meter run.

On the men�s side, Noah Eschenbauch ranks third in the hammer throw after winning the Division III indoor championship in the 35-pound weight throw earlier this spring. Jeremiah Rolfs ranks fifth in the discus and WIAC long jump champion Aaron Carley ranks seventh nationally. Mark Wierzba has the ninth-best discus throw in the country and Scott Dreger ranks 12th in the decathlon.

The only Pointer men�s athlete in two individual events is senior Jesse Baumann, who ranks 10th in the 1500-meter run and will also compete in the 800-meter run. Matt Legel ranks 10th in the 800 meters and will join Carley, Matt Buska and Andrew Schliepp in the 4x400-meter relay.

The meet, hosted by St. Lawrence University, opens on Thursday and runs through Saturday. The UW-Stevens Point men placed third last season, while the women placed 12th at last year�s meet.