Bearcats Improve Marks for NCAA Qualifying as National Meet Approaches

By John Lind, Assistant Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University track and field teams are doing everything in their power to prepare for the NCAA Championships, which will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis., from May 23-25.

Several Bearcats are listed among the top 30 athletes in their respective events on the national NCAA Division III performance list. The top 20 men's athletes and the top 22 women's athletes in each event will qualify for the NCAA Championships when the performance list is completed after the final last-chance meets on Saturday (May 18).

For the Bearcat men's team, Kit Kingstad (Jr., Beaverton, OR/Beaverton HS) surged to the third best time in the nation for the men's 1,500-meter run. Kingstad ran a time of 3:48.53 at the West Coast Invitational. It was a personal record. Previously, Kingstad was 24th in the nation in the 1,500-meter run.

Carson Kennedy (So., Forest Grove, OR/Forest Grove HS) is ranked 11th in the decathlon. He achieved 6,283 points at the West Coast Invitational

For the Bearcat women's team, Michaela Freeby (So., Milwaukie, OR/Rex Putnam HS) is ranked 4th in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a top time of 10:37.43. Freeby jumped from 10th after improving her time at the West Coast Invitational on May 11.

Freshman Taylor Ostrander (Fr., Soldotna, AK, Kenai Central HS) recorded a time of 11:14.30 in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, good for 30th in the nation.

Erynn Rebol (Sr., Cottonwood, CA/Red Bluff Union HS) is listed 25th in the 800-meter run at 2:13:63, which she recorded at the Oregon Twilight on May 3.

Also for the WU women's team, Meka Townsend (Fr., Okanogan, WA/Okanogan HS) is ranked 23nd in the javelin, with a throw of 134' 1" at the 2013 NWC Championships, while Bekah Daniel (So., Silverdale, WA/Central Kitsap HS) is 30th in the triple jump, recording a top distance of 37' 6.5" at the Oregon Twilight.