NCAA announces qualifiers for Division II championships from Central, Western, and Seattle Pacific...
INDIANAPOLIS--The NCAA Tuesday afternoon announced the athletes qualified to compete at next weekend's NCAA Division II outdoor track and field championships May 22-24, 2025 at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl in Pueblo, Colorado.
Qualifiers for the Division II championships were ranked in the top 22 in each event, except for the combined events and the relays, where qualifiers had to be in the top 16.
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
Central Washington is led by GNAC sprint champion E'lexis Hollis (Charlie Arcese/WWU Athletics), who is qualified in both the 100 and 200 meters. She is ranked number 4 in the 100, an 16 in the 200.
Hollis will also be part of the Wildcats' 4 x 100 meter relay, which made the top 16 after the team ran a school and all-time GNAC record 45.09 with leadoff Elise Hopper, second leg Zoe Gonzales, and anchor Ashlyn Nielsen last month in Spokane. The Wildcats are seeded 13th.
She'll be joined by the national leader in the triple jump Emy Ntepkere. Ntepkere made history at the GNAC meet when she won the high jump, long jump, triple jump and heptathlon in the same meet.
This season, Ntepkere, who is the reigning indoor champion in the event, has a season best of 43-6 (13.26m).
Ntepkere will also contest the high jump at the national championships, where she's ranked number 2 with a best of 5-10.5 (1.79m).
Pole vaulter Lauryn McGough is the final women's individual qualifier, after she cleared 13-3.5 (4.05m) at the Texas State Bobcat Invitational in March. She goes into the nationals ranked eleventh.
GNAC 800 champ Johan Correa, who was fourth in the last outdoor and indoor championships in the 800, returns for another shot at a first team All-America honor. He'll be the only Wildcat on the men's side moving on to nationals. Correa goes into the national championships with a time of 1:48.61, ranked eleventh nationally.
WESTERN WASHINGTON
400 meter hurdler Maurice Woodring (Charlie Arcese/WWU Athletics), who set the conference record of 51.03 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa last month, is the highest ranked Western Washington men's athlete in the field at number 7.
Javelin thrower Jakob Braunstein advances to Colorado as the 13th ranked thrower, after launching a personal best 221-9 (67.58m) at the conference championships last week.
Kevin McDermott, the GNAC champ in both the 1500 and 5000, goes into next week's championships ranked 18th in the 1500 at 3:44.37 (converted from mile) at the Ralph Vernacchia Invitational, and 14th in the 5000 at 13:48.17, set at the Bryan Clay meet. (see if he scratches out of one)
Bec Bennett, the Australian world championships competitor on their 4 x 400 relay team, leads their women's team into Colorado.
Bennett, who ran an all-time conference best of 53.11 in the 400 at the GNAC meet last week, is ranked number 10 going into the meet.
She'll be joined in Colorado by steeplechaser Ila Davis, who won her fourth career GNAC championship in the event over the weekend. Davis, who ran 10:20.91 at Stanford in April, is also ranked number 10.
Jessica Polkinghorn goes into the championships ranked ninth in the shot put, with a best of 50-8.25 (15.45m) at the Central Washington Invitational last month.
Maddy Grandbois, who was tied for number 22 in the shot put after throwing a personal best 47-10 (14.58m) at the Ralph Vernacchia Invitational, was not selected due to a tiebreaker, which was the second best mark of the season,
Western's final qualifier is discus thrower Katie Potts, who threw a season best 158-0 (48.15m) two weeks ago at the Pee Wee Halsell Invitational. She goes into the NCAA championships ranked number 21 on the NCAA descending order list.
SEATTLE PACIFIC
Seattle Pacific will send two runners to Colorado in 5000/10000 meter specialist Annika Esvelt and steeplechaser Maya Ewing (Paul Merca photo).
Esvelt, an All-American in both events, ran 15:56.94 at the Stanford Invitational, and 33:34.30 at the Bryan Clay Invitational. She's ranked number 5 in the 5000, and number 3 in the 10000. Esvelt won the 5000 at the GNACs last week.
Ewing, the GNAC steeplechase and 5000m runner-up, goes into nationals ranked twelfth with a best of 10:27.61, set at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
NOTE: The NCAA, and the sports information offices of Western Washington, Seattle Pacific, and Central Washington contributed to this report.
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