Several Saint John’s track and field student-athletes will travel to Wis.-La Crosse to compete in a "last chance" NCAA qualifier this Thursday, May 20. Competition is scheduled to begin with field events at 4 p.m. followed by running events at 6:10 p.m. – Meet Website
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Coming off a sixth-place team finish at last weekend’s MIAC Championships, several Johnnies are looking for NCAA qualifying marks this Thursday. After finishing first, second, and third in the discus at the MIAC Championships, sophomore Wade Powers (Hawick, Minn./New London-Spicer), juniors Tim Juba (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) and Griffin Hayes (Mendota Heights, Minn./St. Thomas Academy) look to improve upon their provisional qualifying marks. Powers is within three meters of the automatic qualifying standard of 51.50 meters. At this meet last year, Hayes improved his previous best by almost three meters and qualified for the NCAA Championships.
After placing third in a loaded steeplechase field last weekend, senior Patrick Lowder (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) is within one second of an NCAA provisional qualifying time (9:25.00) and will look to improve upon his personal best of 9:20.38 set last year at the North Central College last chance qualifier.
Fresh off a fourth-place finish in the 1,500 meters at the MIAC Championships, sophomore Ruairi Moynihan (Fargo, N.D./South) hopes to find himself in a fast race that produced eight NCAA qualifiers last year. Moynihan will have to lower his personal best time of 3:58.75 set last weekend by four seconds to reach the provisional standard (3:54.50).
Also competing for the Johnnies will be senior Josh Wallert (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) in the 100 and 200 meters, junior Jimmy Backes (Lakeville, Minn./South) in the 1,500 meters, junior Andrew Norman (Maple Grove, Minn.) in the pole vault, sophomore Ryan Miller (Stillwater, Minn.) in the 5,000 meters, freshman John Loonan (Shakopee, Minn.) in the discus and hammer throw, and freshman Mikhail Saunders (Monticello, Minn.) in the discus, shot put, and hammer throw.