INDIANAPOLIS-- Trine's Kara Eck has earned a bid to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in two events, the NCAA announced as part of its national entries release.
Eck (Auburn, Ind. / DeKalb) will compete in the shot put and hammer throw in the championship meet this weekend. Eck will be making her second nationals appearance in the hammer throw after earning a bid last spring. This will be Eck's first outdoor nationals bid in the shot put. She placed fourth in the shot put at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field National Championships to earn All-America honors earlier this year. The top 22 performers in the nation received invites to the outdoor national competition.
The NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championships are being held Thursday-Saturday, May 26-28 at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. For more information on the site of competition, visit THIS PAGE.
Eck enters the national meet with the second-best shot put performance in the nation during the outdoor season. The sophomore's top throw of 47 feet, 11.75 inches came in her most-recent performance at the 2016 All-Great Lakes Elite Meet. The throw trails the top mark in the nation by just two inches. A replication of her most-recent throw would give Eck a strong chance to earn a national title in the event.
In addition to her All-America honors during the indoor season in the shot put, Eck won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association title in the event at the conference's Field Day championship event. Eck is the school and MIAA record-holder in the event.
Eck is seeded seventh in the hammer throw entering the national meet. Eck is also peaking in the hammer throw at the right time, with her most-recent throw of 181 feet, 8 inches in the All-Great Lakes Elite Meet setting a new personal-best and new school record. That throw trails the top performance in the nation be seven feet.
Eck's efforts in the hammer throw this season also included a MIAA title in the event at Field Day. She set a conference meet record with her performance. She competed in the hammer throw in the national meet last season as a freshman.
Other honors earned by Eck this season include recognition as HERO Sports "Hero of the Week" and three MIAA Field Athlete of the Week honors during the outdoor season. She was named the Most Outstanding Field Athlete at MIAA Field Day for her two conference record-breaking performances.
The top eight performers in each event at the national meet will earn All-America honors. Eck could become Trine's first-ever All-American in multiple events in the same year.
The shot put national championship will begin Friday at noon CST. The finals of the hammer throw begin Saturday at 11:30 a.m. CST.
Live results of all championship performances will be posted HERE. For more information regarding the NCAA Division III Women's Outdoor Track and Field championships, log on to http://www.ncaa.com.
