Tiger track and field athletes preparing for national meet

With 12 women and 11 men qualified to compete at the NJCAA Division I Track and Field Championships on May 16-18 in Monroe, LA, the Cowley College national qualifiers hope to fare well against a stacked field of competitors.

Lady Tiger national qualifiers are Tavarie Campbell, Kennedy Kizzar, Dakota Dapper, Riannon St. Clair, Mayce McDonald, Bri Lee, Cierra Gray, Jamilet Bautista, Kayli Myers, Savannah Fischer, Brittannia Willis, and Bree Rowe.

Tiger men's national qualifiers are Mason Bickle, Miquel Cruz, Pedro Balestrini, Riley Hunter, Victor Morfin, RJ Hanna, Julien Washington, Jacob Creswell, Brett Clevenger, Garrah Bauer, and Dagen Geier.

Washington is ranked second in the hammer, and Hunter is ranked in the top five in the pole vault. Mason Bickle led the Tiger men as the outdoor conference champion in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter runs.

Balestrini ran a national qualifying time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and was the conference champion in the event. Tiger runner Miquel Cruz was the conference champion in the 1,500-meter run, and Hunter was the conference champ in the men's pole vault.

"The goal is to go there and do the best we can," Cowley head coach Cameron Rieth said. "You never know who will show up and put together an All-American performance."

Lady Tiger runner Tavarie Campbell was the conference champion in the 800 and 1,500-meter runs, while Dapper was the women's conference champ in the pole vault. The Lady Tiger throwers also shined at the conference meet as Cierra Gray was the conference champion in the shot put, Rowe was the conference champ in the discus, and Bautista was the conference champ in the javelin.

Lady Tiger freshman Macye McDonald also performed well at the conference meet as she hit the national qualifying standard in the hammer throw.

"Campbell has a fighting chance to be an All-American in the 1,500-meter run, and the women's 4x800-meter relay is highly ranked," Rieth said. "We are looking forward to the freshmen being in this kind of environment and pressure cooker-type situation, so they will be able to navigate it a little better as sophomores."

Rieth said the talent level at the national meet continues to get better each year.

"It is going to be competitive, but I think that brings out the best in the athletes," Rieth said. "We hope to finish strong and enjoy this experience together. It would be really good if we finish in the top 15 with both squads. We would have to have a lot of things go our way to finish in the top 10."