TRACK & FIELD

Eight Foresters will represent Huntington University at the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships slated for May 23-26 at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Ala.

No stranger to the national stage, senior Aspen Dirr will be making her second trip to NAIA Track & Field Nationals, her first coming this winter at the 2019 Indoor Championships where she collected a pair of All-American badges by claiming third in the 1,000 meters and fifth in the mile.

Dirr’s resume also includes three appearances at the NAIA Cross Country Championships. The senior harrier ran a program record 17:55 to earn her first All-American honor this past fall.

The Prairie Heights product (Hudson, Ind.) is scheduled to compete at 2:00 p.m. (CDT) on Friday as the 19th seed in the 800 meter trials. Dirr qualified for nationals by clocking in at 2:15.81 at the Dr. Keeler Invitational on May 10.

Dirr will also be teaming up with Jessica Chojnacki (Allendale HS, Allendale, Mich.) and Mara McFarland (Berrien Springs HS, Berrien Springs, Mich.) and Molly Mitchell (Hamilton Heights HS, Cicero, Ind.) in Gulf Shores to run the 4×800 meter relay. The foursome will compete in the trials as the eighth seed on Thursday at 5:40 p.m. (CDT). They punched their ticket to nationals at the Crossroads League Championships by running a 9:18.91.

For Chojnacki and Mitchell, this will be their second time to nationals as they also ran at the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships just a few months back as part of the DMR team along with Dirr and Saige Norris.

The Huntington men’s 4×800 meter relay team also earned the right to compete nationally by posting a 7:47.80 at the Crossroads League Championships on May 2. The trials are slated for Friday at 6:15 p.m. (CDT). CJ Robertson (John Carroll HS, Port St. Lucie, Fla.), Elijah Chesterman (Huntington North HS, Huntington, Ind.), Adrien Gentie (ASORO Grammar, Cours, France) and Josiah Sovine (Wadsworth HS, Wadsworth, Ohio) will be representing the Foresters in this event.

For more information about the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National championships, visit the NAIA website.