It's official: Three Fredonia Blue Devils have qualified for the NCAA Division III Track & Field championship meet.
Sarah Couperus (Marion, N.Y./Marion) and Brittany Feldman (Jamestown/Southwestern) from the women's team and Justyn Haines (Albion, N.Y./Albion) from the men's team are bound for LaCrosse, Wis., the site of the D-III championship meet Thursday, May 24, through Saturday, May 26.
Couperus is highest seeded among the trio, tied for No. 11 in the women's high jump. Her top mark of 1.68 meters (5 feet, 6 inches) came last Friday, May 11, at Allegheny College's Gator Invitational.
Feldman is tied for 14th in the women's 400-meter dash with a season-best time of 56.30 seconds. It came April 21 at Marietta College's Don Frail Invitational.
Haines is tied for 19th in the men's pole vault. He cleared 4.88 meters (16 feet) on May 4 at the SUNYAC championship meet.
Couperus and Haines are headed to nationals for the first time while Feldman is making her fifth trip. She has earned NCAA D-III All-America honors twice, each time in the 400 meters.
Falling short of qualifying, yet still among the Top 50 in marks in the nation, was senior Damone Brown (Haverstraw/North Rockland), who is 38th in the men's shot put.
REGIONAL RANKINGS: The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association compiles weekly rankings in all eight regions of NCAA Division III. The latest Atlantic Region lists released May 18 include Haines (No. 2 in the men's pole vault), Brown (No. 4 in the men's shot put), Feldman (No. 3 in the women's 400), and Couperus (No. 1 in the women's high jump).
Story update:
Couperus will jump 21st in a 22-woman rotation beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern time Friday. She is making her first NCAA appearance.
Feldman will run in the third of three preliminary heats, with the first scheduled to start at 5:15 p.m. Eastern time Friday. The winner of each of the three heats plus the next six fastest runners advance to Saturday's final at 2:20 p.m.
Haines is 12th in the 20-man rotation set to start at 1 p.m. Saturday. Like Couperus, Haines is making his first NCAA appearance.
