18 May 1999

CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, (309) 556-3206 or track coach Chris Schumacher, (309) 556-3624
 
 

Seven from IWU Headed to National Track Meet

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- Seven Illinois Wesleyan athletes will be competing in this weekend's NCAA Division III national outdoor track championships at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio.

Senior Jason Dennis (Prophetstown HS) has qualified in both the shot and discus with top distances of 54 feet, 4 1/2 inches in the shot and 166 feet, 10 inches in the discus.

At this winter's national indoor meet, Dennis placed second in the shot with a mark of 55 feet, 2 3/4 inches and he was an outdoor Division III All-American in the shot in 1997 with an eighth place finish.

Junior Harold Gauthier (Lynwood, Thornton Fractional South HS), who finished fourth in the triple jump at last spring's outdoor championships, qualified this year with a triple jump of 48 feet, sixth best among the 16 national qualifiers.

Senior Karle Koritz (Clinton HS), who placed fourth in the 1999 national indoor meet in the 55 meter hurdles, had a time of 14.46 seconds to earn the seventh-best qualifying time of 20 entered in the 110 meter high hurdles.

Juniors Martez Clark (Frankfort, Lincoln-Way HS) and Steve Zimmerman (Naperville, North HS) have qualified in the long jump and pole vault, respectively. Clark, who was ninth in the indoor nationals in the long jump, had a leap of 24 feet, 2 1/4 inches this spring, fifth best among the 16 outdoor meet entrants.

Zimmerman is the 12^th qualifier of 16 nationally with a height of 15 feet, 6 1/4 inches.

Muneerah Maalik (Chicago, Hyde Park Academy) and Denise Short (Clinton HS) are the national qualifiers in the women's meet. With a school-record 12.29 seconds, Maalik posted the 15th best time in the 100 meter dash among 21 who qualified and Short's long jump of 18 feet, 4 1/4 inches is 10th best of 20 in the national finals.

Maalik was an indoor All-American as she placed fifth in the 55 with a dash of 7.28 seconds.

Senior Jacqui Bliss (Towanda, Ridgeview HS) narrowly missed competing in the 800 meter run as her time of 2:15.79 fell short of the necessary qualifying mark of 2:14.8.