Seven University of Southern Indiana student-athletes punched tickets for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, as announced by the NCAA Tuesday afternoon.
The Screaming Eagles will send four men’s competitors and three women’s competitors to the national meet, which is May 26-28 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Seniors Johnnie Guy (Palmyra, Indiana) and Tyler Pence (Springfield, Illinois) will compete in the 5,000 meters as well as the 10,000 meters. Pence won the national championship in the 10,000 meters a year ago, while Guy earned a national title in the 10,000 meters in 2014 before finishing second in 2015.
This marks the second consecutive year that Guy will enter the NCAA II Outdoor Championships ranked first in the nation in the 10,000 meters after earning an automatic qualifying mark with his time of 28 minutes, 34.79 seconds at the Payton Jordan Invitational.
Guy also ranks second in the field in the 5,000 meters after posting the nation’s second-fastest time (13:39.14) at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Pence ranks seventh in the field in the 10,000 meters after posting a qualifying time of 29:34.48 at the Hillsdale “Gina†Relays. He is 15th in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:08.98.
Joining Guy and Pence are juniors Chase Broughton (Marengo, Indiana) and Josh Guy (Palmyra, Indiana), who earned spots in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 5,000 meters, respectively.
Broughton ranks seventh in the steeplechase field with a time of 8:58.73, while Josh Guy ranks ninth in the 10,000-meter field after posting a time of 29:35.88 at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Sophomore Emily Roberts (Fredericktown, Ohio) headlines USI’s women’s contingent, which also includes seniors Jamie Adkins (Owensboro, Kentucky) and Jessica Reeves(Midland, Michigan).
Roberts will compete in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters after posting automatic qualifying and school-record times in both events. She ranks third in both events after posting a time of 16:05.28 in the 5,000 meters and 33:54.72 in the 10,000 meters.
Adkins and Reeves join Roberts in the 10,000 meters after earning qualifying times at the Mt. SAC Relays. Adkins ranks 18th in the field with a time of 35:47.41, while Reeves is 20th in the field with a time of 35:53.19.
Prior to the NCAA’s announcement, the Eagles’ men moved up a spot to No. 14 in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association Top 25 computer rankings. The final pre-championship ranking is set to be released on Monday.
