5 WC Quakers qualify for NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced their NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field All-Region performers last Friday.

The NCAA also announced on Friday the qualifiers for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, and the Wilmington College Quakers had five All-Region performers and five national qualifiers. These athletes are Nathen Borgan, Faith Duncan, Jarrett Durr, Simon Heys and Brady Vilvens. 

This was the second All-Region honor for Borgan in the Hammer Throw after being named last season. Duncan earned the first outdoor All-Region honor of her career in the 5,000 Meter Run. Durr has been named All-Region the last three seasons in the Hammer Throw. Heys has been named All-Region the last four seasons in both the 5,000- and 10,000-Meter Runs. Vilvens has earned All-Region recognition the last two seasons in the High Jump.

Borgan has the third-best qualifying Hammer Throw heading into the national championship meet at 63.55m that he threw at the Jesse Owens Track & Field Classic on April 19. He broke the program record for the Quakers in the event this season and has bested the 60-meter mark in every meet this season except for one. He was an All-American in the event last spring and an All-American in the Weight Throw this winter. Borgan will be competing on Saturday afternoon at 3:45 p.m.

Duncan ran a season-best and program record 5,000 (5k) Meter Run of 16:34.92 at the WashU Distance Carnival during the first meet of the outdoor season on March 28. This is good for 11th in the country heading into the national championship meet. Her other time running the event this spring was at the OAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, where she blew the field away with a time of 17:05.64. Duncan was an All-American in the 3,000 (3k) Meter Run during indoor season. She will be competing on Saturday evening at 7 p.m.

Durr enters the Hammer Throw event with the seventh best mark in Division III this season at 61.13m, a mark he hit at the Harrison Dillard Twilight on May 10. He broke the 60-meter mark in a pair of meets this season and was an All-American in the Hammer Throw last spring and an All-American in the Weight Throw this winter. He will be competing alongside Borgan on Saturday afternoon at 3:45 p.m.

Heys enters his fourth NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships this weekend and will be competing in both the 5,000 (5k)- and 10,000 (10k)-Meter Runs. This is the second year in a row that he will be running both events. Last season, he was an All-American in the 10k. Heys had the 13th best 5k time of 14:06.07, which was a career best and program record for him. He ran this time at the WashU Distance Carnival on March 28. In the 10k, he was third in the country with a time of 29:17.58 at the Bison Outdoor Classic on April 13. He runs the 10k Thursday night at 9:15 p.m. and runs the 5k on Saturday evening at 7:25 p.m.

Vilvens comes into the national championships for the second year in a row after being named the Co-National Champion and an All-American last season in the High Jump. He bested his national championship mark this season at the OAC Outdoor Championships on May 3, when he cleared 2.09m. This clearance was good for a tie for seventh in the country this season. He competes on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m.  

The meet kicks off Thursday morning at 11 a.m. with the Men's Discus Throw and the Women's Javelin Throw. 

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