Indianapolis, IN --- Worcester State junior Briana Wise (Worcester, MA/Burncoat) has received a nod to the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships as she will participate in the 60 meter dash at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. The starting gun for the first 60 meter dash heats are slated to fire off at 6:35 PM on Friday.

Wise, who had been ranked in the top 15 for a majority of the season, qualified for the meet with a school-record time of 7.78 in the 60 meters which was the top time at the Division III New England Championships. In the following weeks, Wise has also earned Open New England honors in the 60 (7th Place – 7.83) and ECAC Division III accolades in the same event (3rd Place – 7.80).

Wise also becomes the first female student-athlete to earn a trip to the Division III Indoor meet since Nicole McKeon and Dallas Baldwin both accomplished the feat during the 2006 season. McKeon placed ninth in the weight throw finals (15.85m/52-0) and Baldwin cleared 5-1.25 feet (1.52m) in the high jump to finish in a tie for 14th.

This marks the first year that the NCAA Division III has taken the top 15 female times, heights and lengths for individuals at the end of the season. The top 10 relays and 15 point scorers in the pentathlon are also chosen for the indoor competition.

Sophomore Christy Deininger (N. Attleboro, MA) just missed the field by two hundredths of a second as her time in the trials at the Division III New England Championships in the 60 meter hurdles was the 16th highest nationally (8.94).

The finals for the 60 meters will be held on Saturday at 4:45 PM.

Among participants at the NCAAs from the MASCAC, Wise is is joined by senior Amanda Gricus (Marion, MA) of Westfield State who is seeded eighth in the weight throw while from the Alliance senior Paige Mills of Keene State (Keene, NH) and third-year Molly Carl (York, ME) of Southern Maine are slotted 12th in the 5,000 meters and 15th in the mile, respectively.

Locally, WPI junior Noelle Richard (Oxford, MA) is also seeded eighth in the 400 meters.

Official NCAA Division III Performance List