Pilling, Rose qualify for NCAAs

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And then it comes down to two.

Discus throwers Greg Pilling and Alex Rose were the only members of the Central Michigan track and field team to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships over the weekend at the East Preliminaries in Greensboro, N.C.

Pilling, a senior, will make his second trip to nationals after finishing runner-up in the prelims with a throw 183 feet, two inches. He also finished second in last year’s Mideast Regional.

“I wasn’t expecting to place that high,” Pilling said. “I was ranked sixth going in and it was kind of a shaky season. But it felt good being able to put up a solid performance after winning the MAC championship.”

Rose, a freshman, posted a toss of 179 feet, five inches, good for seventh overall.

“I tried to make sure he was sticking to his own game plan,” Pilling said. “During warm ups, he wasn’t paying attention to others and doing what he needed to do.”

Track and field director Willie Randolph said he was pleased with both athletes’ performance given the hot and humid conditions.

“We’re very proud of Greg and Alex,” Randolph said. “It wasn’t about classification, it was about competing. They stayed focus on what they were there to do.”

Senior pole vaulter Marcus Breidinger, participating in his fourth outdoor regional, placed 13th (17 feet, 3/4 inch), just missing a chance to go to nationals.

After reaching NCAAs and missing All-American status via jump off during the indoor season, senior Erika Schroll will not make it to outdoor nationals.

Schroll finished 14th in the high jump with a height of five feet, eight 1/2 inches.

“We were a little surprised,” Randolph said. “Erika’s someone who’s going to compete to the best of her ability. It’s unfortunate she had an off-day, but we’re still very proud of her.”

Junior Raeanne Lohner finished 18th (35:58.47) in the 10,000 meter while Mykal Imbrock placed 23rd in the hammer throw with a distance of 177 feet, 10 inches.

Sophomore Joshua Kettlewell posted a career-high height in the pole vault of 16 feet, 8 3/4 inches, finishing 24th.

Rounding out CMU’s roster was junior Branden Post (32nd, 400-meter hurdles) and sophomore Dierra Riley (43rd, 100-meter race).

“We knew going in there it was going to take a certain level of maturity,” Randolph said. “We told (the underclassmen) to go in and compete like they knew how to and they would have no problem qualifying for nationals. While they didn’t, they set up good things for the program going forward.”