CLAREMONT, Calif. --- Moravian College has qualified six student-athletes, four males and two females, to compete at the 2012 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Claremont, California from Thursday, May 24th through Saturday, May 26th.
Senior Gary Zack is making his fourth trip to the national championships to compete in the javelin throw, and he is the defending national champion in the event. Zack, who also reached the finals as a freshman, qualified first with a school record toss of 69.05 meters (226 feet, six inches), which is the eighth best throw in NCAA Division III history, while sophomore Timothy Lorah is making his first trip to the national meet in the javelin with a toss of 61.42 meters (201 feet, six inches), which is 14th in the field of 20 competitors. The duo will compete on Saturday at 3:40 p.m. EDT.
Senior Timothy Layng is looking to be an All-America for the second time this season after placing seventh in the pole vault at the 2012 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships. Layng enters the meet tied for eighth in the nation at a school record height of 5.00 meters (16 feet, 4 ¾ inches). Layng is scheduled to compete on Saturday at 6:55 p.m. EDT.
Senior Nicco Dalpiaz is heading to the national meet for the first time to compete in the decathlon for just the third time in his career. Dalpiaz enters the competition 15th of the 20 competitors with a total of 6,317 points, and the two-day event will start at 5:00 p.m. EDT on both Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, Dalpiaz will compete in the 100-meter dash (best time of 11.28 seconds), the long jump (6.81 meters – 22 feet, 4 ¼ inches), the shot put (9.71 meters – 31 feet, 10 ¼) inches), the high jump (1.80 meters – five feet, 10 ¾ inches) and the 400-meter dash (51.94 seconds). On Friday, Dalpiaz is scheduled to compete in the 110-meter high hurdles (15.18 seconds), the discus (29.37 meters (96 feet, four inches), the pole vault (4.85 meters – 15 feet, 11 inches), the javelin (41.93 meters – 137 feet, seven inches) and the 1,500-meter run (4:46.65).
Senior Abby Schaffer will compete in the women's pole vault at the National Championships for the second time this season and the sixth time in her career after participating in the NCAA indoor meet back in March where she was the runner-up. Schaffer, a five-time All-American in the pole vault, twice at Widener University as a sophomore and three times at Moravian with a pair of national championships at meet record heights in 2011 and her runner-up finish during the 2012 indoor season, has the top qualifying height at 4.22 meters (13 feet, ten inches), which is also the best height in NCAA Division III history. Schaffer is scheduled to compete on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EDT
Junior Micah Leonard is making her fifth appearance at the NCAA Championships and first this year after battling an injury for most of the season. Leonard will be competing in the triple jump after qualifying 14th of 20 at a school record distance of 11.87 meters (38 feet, 11 ½ inches). The triple jump is scheduled for Saturday at 6:00 p.m. EDT.
