When the NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Committee announced the participants for the 2022 NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, eight Lee University representatives will be among the total of 754 participants, 377 men and 377 women. Student-athletes qualified for the championships by reaching a provisional standard established for each event.
The Lady Flames had five team members selected to participate in five different events. Kristen Blevins will compete in the 200-Meter Dash, while Carissa Hall qualified for the 400-Meter Dash and Long Jump.
Celine Ritter and Aria Hawkins are part of the 1500-Meter Run. Ritter joins Toni Moore in the 5000-Meter Run. Moore rounds out the events with an entry in the 3000-Meter Steeplechase.
“This is the biggest group of women we have ever qualified for an outdoor national championship,” said Lee head coach Caleb Morgan. “We have the opportunity to score eight times. I am very confident this group of women can bring home our highest national championship team finish on the track.”
Wynand Du Toit, Titus Lagat and Jeremiah McCain were the three Flames chosen to run at the championships. Du Toit will be in the 400-Meter Dash, while Lagat qualified for the 800-Meter Run and McCain will be in the 400-Meter Hurdles.
“For the men we only have three individual qualifiers, but they are all veterans who have scored on the national stage multiple times,” added Morgan.
The championships will be held this weekend May 26-28 in Allendale, Michigan at the Grand Valley State Track & Field Stadium. Grand Valley State University and the West Michigan Sports Commission will serve as co-hosts of the championships. The championships will be streamed live on NCAA.com.
Hawkins and Ritter are scheduled to be the first Lee athletes to see action in Heat 1 of the 1500 prelims on Thursday at 5:25 p.m. EDT. Hall will make her appearance in finals of the Long Jump at 5:30, while the preliminary rounds of the men’s and women’s 400 follow at 5:40 and 5:55, respectively.
Four events later, Moore will toe the starting line of the steeplechase around 7:10 with the men’s 400-meter hurdles preliminaries following at 7:40.
The schedule for Friday will be much lighter with the women’s 200 starting at 5:45 and the men’s 800 right after at 6:00. The steeplechase final is set for 7:30.
The Flames and Lady Flames have a potential for seven final events on Saturday. The only guaranteed final is Ritter and Moore in the 5000 at 5:25 p.m.