Four members of the Wilmington College men’s track & field team have qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Simon Heys (5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs), Brady Vilvens (high jump), JJ Durr (hammer throw) and Nathan Borgan (hammer throw) will represent the Quakers at the championships, scheduled for Thursday through Saturday in Rochester, N.Y.
The four individuals qualifying for nationals marks the first time in more than a decade the program will take more than two athletes and the most Quakers to appear in the event since 2006.
Heys, a 14-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference performer, is seeded 21st in the 5,000-meter run (14:11.05) and 16th in the 10,000-meter run (29:45.96). The Wilmington High School graduate was an All-OAC honoree in both events earlier this month and also competed in both at the Indoor NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships earlier this year.
Vilvens, another WHS graduate and the OAC’s runner-up in the high jump, improved on his mark at the Carius/Gregory Invitational in Naperville, Ill., last week. The sophomore is seeded 16th in the event with a leap of 6-8.25.
Durr, the OAC champion and school record holder in the hammer throw, will be making his first appearance at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships. A two-time competitor in the weight throw indoors, Durr is seeded fifth (197-11).
Borgan, an All-OAC honoree in the hammer throw, was just outside of the nationals field after the regular season. The sophomore took full advantage of the Last Chance Meets, however, as his heave of 193-1 at the Carius/Gregory Invitational has Borgan seeded 12th.
