AMHERST, Mass. -- Seven Mammoths will represent the Amherst College men's and women's track and field teams and compete for national championships at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships beginning on Thursday (May 22) at the SPIRE Institute's Outdoor Track & Field facility in Geneva, Ohio.
Only the top 22 athletes in each individual event and the top 16 teams in each relay event earn invitations to the national championships.
First-year
Gavin Schmidt earns his first trip to an NCAA Championship while sophomore
Parker Boyle will return to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for a second straight season.
Schmidt secured the second to last qualifying spot in the discus which will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 22. Earning the NESCAC Most Outstanding Rookie honor, Schmidt was the NESCAC Champion in both the discus and shot put and holds Amherst program records in both events while also holding the indoor shot put record. Schmidt continued his strong campaign to place as the runner up in the discus at the New England Division III Outdoor Championships where he broke the Amherst discus record.
Boyle will return to his second consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 800m as the sophomore is seeded 19th. The preliminary round of the 800m will be on Friday, May 23 at 4 p.m. with eight runners advancing to the final on Saturday, May 24 at 2:50 p.m. Boyle was the NESCAC Champion in the 800m and finished as the runner up in the 1500m. During the indoor season, Boyle was a member of the All-American distance medley relay team as the Mammoths placed fourth. As a rookie, Boyle represented the Mammoths in the 800m, earning All-America Second Team Honors for placing tenth on the national stage.
On the women's side, first-years
Hannah Stephenson and
Flora Biro, sophomore
Emma Ramsingh, and juniors
Myeh Medina and
Piper Lentz earned individual qualifying marks to the NCAA Championships.
Stephenson will represent the Mammoths in her first NCAA Track & Field Championships in the 5000m where the rookie is seeded 18th. The Farmington, Conn. native placed fourth in the 5000m at the NESCAC Championships. During the indoor season, Stephenson finished third in the 3000m at the New England Division III Indoor Championships. The only round of the 5000m will be held on Saturday, May 24 at 4:25 p.m.
Biro will compete in her first NCAA Track & Field Championships in the 10000m, where the first-year is seeded in 15th. Biro was the NESCAC Champion in the 10000m and was a member of the distance medley relay team that earned the New England Division III Indoor Championship title in March. The 10000m is slated for Thursday, May 22 at 9:15 p.m.
Ramsingh will compete in the discus for her second appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. At last year's championship, the sophomore placed 12th in the nation earning All-America Second Team accolades. As a sophomore, Ramsingh set a new program record in the discus at the New England Division III Outdoor Championships. This season, Ramsingh was the NESCAC Champion in the discus and placed fourth in the discus at the New England Division III Outdoor Championships. The discus is scheduled for Thursday, May 22 at 1 p.m.
Medina will appear on the national stage for the second time in the 400m hurdles as the junior placed tenth in the 400m hurdles at last year's NCAA Championships, earning All-America Second Team honors. Medina finished as the runner up in the 100m and 400m hurdles at the NESCAC Championships and is a member of the 4x400m relay team that broke the program record earlier this season. The first round of the 400m hurdles is scheduled for Thursday, May 22 at 6:25 p.m. with the final round on Saturday, May 24 at 3:25 p.m.
Lentz will compete in her first NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 800m. Lentz placed third in the 800m at this year's NESCAC Championship while also finishing as the New England Division III Indoor Champion in the 600m. Lentz holds five program records including two individual records as the junior holds the indoor 600m record and the outdoor 800m record. The first round of the 800m is scheduled for Friday, May 23 at 4:15 p.m. with the final round held on Saturday, May 24 at 3 p.m.
The top 16 finishers at the national championships earn All-America accolades with the top 16 earning All-America second team honors and the top 8 finishers earning All-America first team recognition. The Amherst men have won three individual national championships since 1988 while the women have won nine individual national championships since 2000.
