Landmark Qualifies Four Athletes For NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships

MADISON, N.J. – For the second time in as many years four Landmark Conference student-athletes will represent their institutions and the Landmark Conference at the 2010 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind. March 12-13.

Also for consecutive years Moravian College has a trio of women competing in the meet while Susquehanna University has one men’s qualifier in the competition. All four athletes will be trying to earn All-America recognition by placing in the top-eight in an individual event, while also trying to earn points for the team standings.

Moravian senior Anna Heim is making her third trip to the Indoor Championships while fellow senior Symonne Scott qualified for the meet for the second time, and freshman Micah Leonard is making her first trip. Susquehanna senior Paul Thistle is making his first trip to the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Heim will compete in the women’s pole vault for the fourth straight season.  Heim has the best vault of the 2010 season and the top vault of all-time in NCAA Division III indoor history at a height of 4.10 meters. Heim was the runner-up last year’s indoor championships and fourth in 2008 to earn All-American honors.

Scott is also heading to the indoor national championships for second consecutive year to compete in the long jump. She enters the meet 13th of 15 competitors with a season best mark of 5.56 meters. Scott, who has competed three times at the NCAA Championships including twice outdoors, was seventh in the long jump a year ago to earn All-American honors.

Leonard is making her first trip to the national championships, and she will compete in a pair of events.  Leonard is ranked 11th entering the long jump with Scott after a season best lead of 5.58 meters. She will also compete in the triple jump after qualifying 13th with a distance of 11.63 meters.

Thistle, who recently captured the Landmark Conference's Track Athlete of the Year award at the Landmark indoor championships on Feb. 27, will compete in the one-mile run at the NCAA championships. His best time this season of 4:13.16 at the Susquehanna Open on Feb. 19 will rank 12th at the national meet.  

In 2008 the Landmark sent two competitors to the NCAA Indoor Championships, followed by four qualifiers last season. In those two years, five student-athletes have earned All-America status at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Story provided by Moravian & Susquehanna Sports Information