Only Rose qualifies for NCAA track and field nationals
One of four Central Michigan track and field athletes at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Regionals emerged with a shot at a national championship.
“(The athletes) competed at their highest level and we were pretty proud,” said track and field director Willie Randolph.
Sophomore Alex Rose finished third in the discus with a throw of 186 feet. He will represent CMU for the second time in his career at the outdoor championships in Des Moines, Iowa.
“I felt really confident about my throws at regionals,” Rose said. “They really put me in a good position for nationals”
The Chippewas saw the end of senior Mykal Imbrock’s career as the hammer toss record holder finished 14th out of 48 with a toss of 189 feet.
“She is a very solid person, very focused and driven,” Randolph said. “It’s unfortunate that she doesn’t have another year because we feel she still has more.”
Junior Ryan McCullough, who played a big role in the men’s third place finish at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor championships, competed in the hammer toss where he holds the school record. He also competed in the discus.
The junior was able to finish in the top 15 of the region in the hammer toss, with a throw of 198 feet, but it wasn’t enough to qualify for nationals.
Both McCullough and Imbrock did place well enough to qualify for a spot at nationals if any participants ahead of them were to drop out before the competition.
Sophomore Maddie Ribant broke the school record in the steeplechase at the prestigious Penn Relays this season and competed at regionals with a time of 10:53.52, which was good enough to put her in the top 40 athletes of its region.
Rose will head to the University of Iowa to compete for the national championship in the discus for the second year in a row. Rose came into regionals ranked sixth in the entire nation.
“I have a really good chance at nationals; I know a lot of the guys and they’re great competitors but I’ll be right there with them,” Rose said. “I’m not going to walk in like a freshman, I’m going to step into the ring and compete like I always do"
