Five Bearcats Qualify for NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- Five Willamette University athletes have qualified to compete in a total of six events at the 2012 NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships, set for May 24-26 at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Claremont, Calif. The top 22 women's athletes and the top 20 men's athletes in each event from throughout NCAA Division III were selected.

Competing for the Bearcats will be Jaela Dinsmore (Sr., Hines, OR; Burns HS) in the women's 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash, Brandi Miller (Sr., Grants Pass, OR/North Valley HS) in the heptathlon, Theresa Edwards (Jr., Lake Tapps, WA/Bonney Lake HS) in the women's 1,500-meter run, Michaela Freeby (Fr., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase and Kit Kingstad (So., Beaverton, OR/Beaverton HS) in the men's 1,500-meter run.

Dinsmore was tied for 17th among accepted entries in the 100-meter dash and was tied for 18th in the 200-meter dash. Both of her top times set personal records. She registered a time of 12.09 seconds in the 100 at both the West Coast Invitational on May 12 and the Gregory Invitational on May 18, and ran the 200 in 24.77 seconds at the Gregory Invitational.

She holds second place on Willamette's all-time list in both events, trailing only Sonda Strong, who set WU's 100-meter record at 11.88 seconds in 1989 as well as the 200-meter record at 24.60 seconds in 1989.

Dinsmore's qualifying times continued a trend of lowering her top results throughout the season. On the way to reaching the NCAA Championships, she won Northwest Conference titles in the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash.ed her top score at the West Coast Invitational. Her personal record is 4,406 points, set at last year's West Coast meet.

Miller ranked 18th on the accepted entry list in the heptathlon with a top score of 4,381 points. She record

At the 2011 NCAA Championships, Miller placed 18th in the heptathlon with 4,291 points.

Edwards achieved a top time of 4:37.24 in the 1,500-meter run this spring and was 20th among the accepted entries. She earned her top time while setting a personal record at the John Knight Twilight on April 13. Edwards won the 800-meter run and the 1,500-meter run at the NWC Championships.

Freeby was listed 17th among accepted entries in the steeplechase. She registered her personal record time of 10:57.44 at the West Coast Invitational. She won the NWC steeplechase title, leading a 1-2-4 finish for the Bearcats.

Kingstad lowered his personal record in the 1,500-meter run by more than four seconds at the West Coast Invitational to 3:50.23. He qualified for the NCAA Championships by moving up to ninth among the Division III accepted entries. He won this year's NWC championship in the 1,500.