March 4, 2008-The Emporia State track and field teams will be sending five men and three women to compete in eight events at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 14-15 in Mankato, Minn. The combined eight athletes are the most sent by any one MIAA school to this year’s national championships.
The ESU men have a chance to score some big points in the high jump. Hornets are ranked second, third and fourth in the nation entering the championships. Craig Saalfeld won the MIAA Championship with a mark of 6-11.50 to better teammates Dustin Andrews in second and Alex Pyle in fourth. All three have cleared 6-10.75 this year.
Kenton Lonberger was the High Point Scorer and Freshman of the Year by winning the 60m and 200m at the MIAA Indoor Championships. He enters the national championships ranked fourth in the 200m and tenth in the 60m.
Josh Honeycutt rounds out the ESU men’s field at the championships. The MIAA champion in the triple jump is ranked eighth in the national championship field.
MIAA High Point Scorer Jonel Rossbach leads the way for the Hornet women with the best time in the nation in the women’s 5000m run. Her time of 16:54.12 is almost five seconds better than Winrose Karunde of Abilene Christian. The two met in the NCAA South Central Regional and NCAA National Championships in cross country with Karunde nipping Rossbach by less than five seconds in both races. Although she had qualifying times in other events, Rossbach will concentrate on the 5000m only in Minnesota.
Brooke Kent, who tied Rossbach for High Point honors at the MIAA indoor meet, will compete in two events at the national championships. She is ranked sixth in the long jump with a mark of 18-11.75 set at the MSSU Radio Shack Invitational. She is ranked 18 th in the 60m with a 7.70 that she won the MIAA Championship with last weekend.
Jennifer Robinson is the other competitor for the ESU women. She punched her ticket to Minnesota with a jump of 5-07.25 to win the MIAA Championship in the high jump.
The ESU women finished second and the men third at the MIAA Indoor Championships last weekend. The NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held in Myers Field House on the campus of Minnesota State-Mankato on March 14-15.
ESU Event Qualifiers
| Men 60 Meter Dash | |
| 10 Kenton Lonberger | 6.81 |
| Men 200 Meter Dash | |
| 4 Kenton Lonberger | 21.83 |
| Men High Jump | |
| 2 Craig Saalfeld | 2.12m |
| 3 Dustin Andrews | 2.11m |
| 4 Alex Pyle | 2.10m |
| Men Triple Jump | |
| 8 Josh Honeycutt | 14.90m |
| Women 60 Meter Dash | |
| 18 Brooke Kent | 7.70 |
| Women 5000 Meter Run | |
| 1 Jonel Rossbach | 16:54.12 |
| Women High Jump | |
| 6 Jennifer Robinson | 1.71m |
| Women Long Jump | |
| 6 Brooke Kent | 5.79m |
Time Schedule
| Fri., March 14 | ||
| 3:45 p.m. | Women’s Long Jump | Brooke Kent |
| 3:50 p.m. | Men’s High Jump | Craig Saalfeld |
| Dustin Andrews | ||
| Alex Pyle | ||
| 6:03 p.m. | Women’s 60m Prelims | Brooke Kent |
| 6:18 p.m. | Men’s 60m Prelims | Kenton Lonberger |
| 7:46 p.m. | Men’s 200m Prelims | Kenton Lonberger |
| Sat., March 15 | ||
| 2:00 p.m. | Men’s Triple Jump | Josh Honeycutt |
| 2:15 p.m. | Women’s High Jump | Jennifer Robinson |
| 6:00 p.m. | Women’s 5000m | Jonel Rossbach |