Worcester Telegram & Gazette Article: "Track Star's Off To NCAAs"
Indianapolis, IN --- Highlighted by junior Briana Wise (Worcester, MA/Burncoat), the Worcester State Women's Track & Field team will have five who will be in the traveling party to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships which will be held from Thursday, March 24 though Saturday, 26th in Claremont, California at the Fritz Burns Stadium.
It marks the largest number of females in school history ever to attend a single track and field national championship event. Five participants also ties the mark for the most as All-American John Dupuis and the Mile Relay team which included three Lancer Hall of Famers competed at the 1975 Division III Outdoor Championships.
Wise, who clocked some of the best sprinting splits in all divisions of New England, earned the third slot in the 200 meters (24.28) while she was also the 12th seed in the 100 meters (12.04). Both times were run in the finals of the Open New England Championships just two weeks ago. Both times also shattered the previous program standards.
Wise also stamped her ticket for the Division III Indoor Championships at Grinnell and placed 12th in the 55 meters. She was the first female Lancer to compete at the NCAA's since 2006.
Wise will compete in the trials of the 200 meters on Thursday at 6:00 PM (9:00 EST) before she will go in the preliminary heats of the 100 meters on Friday at 6:30 (9:30 EST).
Sophomore Christy Deininger (N. Attleboro, MA) earned the nod as the 21st seed in the 100 meter hurdles. Her third-place time of 14.58 at the ECAC Division III Championships this past weekend in the finals was good enough to help her make the cut as the top 22 make the field.
Since the Fitchburg State Eric Loeschner Invitational, she has broken the school record in the 100 meter hurdles in four out of the last five weeks. She will start off the blocks at 5:05 PM (8:05 PM) on Friday.
Deininger, Wise along with freshman Brittany Hodgerney (Leicester, MA) and senior Sarah Rafferty (Uxbridge, MA) ran the ninth fastest relay time in Division III and have earned the right to vie for the right to contend for All-American accolades.
The quartet sprinted to a Division III New England title – the first relay crown for the women's track team in program history – with a school record time of 47.27. The first heats of the 4x100 relay are at 4:00 PM (7:00 PM) on Thursday.
The final Worcester State female student athlete to round out the field is freshman Alyssa Jasper (Rockland, MA) who had a toss of 41.18 meters in the javelin throw (135-1.25) for first place in the ECAC heptathlon.
Jasper, who scored 4,254 points for third and the 30th best score in Division III, was just seven feet off the school record. Jasper will go for the gold on Saturday at 3:45 PM (7:45 PM).
Official seedings will be announced on Wednesday and the release will be updated appropriately on www.wsulancers.com.