ANGOLA, Ind. -- The field for the 2021 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships has been announced and seven members of Trine University track and field count themselves among the competitors.
The men's team will send four student-athletes competing in five events to the competition which will be held in Greensboro, N.C.
Sophomore Jake Gladieux (Oregon, Ohio / Whitmer) becomes the lone Thunder student-athlete to qualify for two events at the championships. He will enter the 400M Hurdles as the six-seed having qualified with a time of 52.89. In the 110M Hurdles event, he will compete as the eight-seed after qualifying with a time of 14.43. He first takes the track at 4:40 p.m. on Thursday, May 27 for the preliminary races of the 400M Hurdles. The preliminary races of the 110M Hurdles will then take place on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Senior Neil O'Brien (Whiteland, Ind. / Roncalli) enters the championships as the highest-seeded Thunder entering the 3000M Steeplechase as No. 4 in the nation. He earns the spot after a season-best time of 9:06.98. The race is scheduled to start at 4:45 p.m. on Friday.
Senior Jack Beakas (Auburn, Ind. / DeKalb) will compete in the 10,000M race where he will compete as the 16-seed having secured a season-best time of 30:18.87. The race is set to begin at 9:15 p.m. on Thursday. The final men's student-athlete to qualify was senior Levi Neuzerling (Noblesville, Ind. / Noblesville) who will enter the 1500M Race where he will compete as the 16-seed with a qualifying time of 3:50.84. The preliminary race is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. on Thursday.
The women's team will send three members to Greensboro. The highest-seeded member of the Thunder is junior Valerie Obear (Fishers, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern) who will compete in the Hammer event which is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. She qualifies for the event with a throw of 53.69M and as the seventh seed.
Senior Evie Bultemeyer (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Homestead) will compete in the 1500M Race as the sixth seed after posting a qualifying time of 4:32.35. The preliminary race is scheduled for 3:55 p.m. on Thursday with the finals taking place on Saturday. The final Trine qualifier is senior Elizabeth Lohman (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Caroll) who will enter the 3000M Steeplechase as the 15 seed after a season-best time of 11:00.15. The race is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
Live coverage of the championships can be found on the NCAA's website.