Two Hope athletes have qualified for the NCAA Division III track and field championships which begin Thursday at North Central College in Naperville, Ill.
Junior Emily Sowers of Grand Rapids, Mich. will compete in the discus Thursday for the third consecutive year. In 1999 she achieved NCAA All-America designation by finishing fifth at nationals. As a freshman she was 15th.
This season she has established a Hope record in the event with a throw of 154 feet, 8 inches. It ranks as the best effort among DIII throwers this spring.
Junior Erica Torgerson of Weidman, Mich. has qualified for the heptathlon, a two-day multiple-event competition that will feature 18 athletes. She is the 18th seeded athlete in the event.
The heptathlon, which will be run Thursday and Friday, consists of the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter dash, long jump, javelin, and 800-meter run.
This spring Torgerson was the MIAA champion in the 400-meter hurdles.
Hope crowned an All-American in the heptathlon in 1995 when Kelly Etheridge finished fifth.