Nebraska Wesleyan University will have nine athletes competing in eight events at the 2012 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships that will be held on May 24-26 at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in Claremont, California. Seven men and two women have qualified for the track & field championships for the Prairie Wolves.

Senior Nick Sawyer (Lincoln, Neb.) is the only NWU male athlete that will be competing in two events. Sawyer has qualified in the 400 meter dash and is part of the 400 meter relay. Joining Sawyer on the 4x100 relay team is senior Harry Meginnis (Lincoln, Neb.), sophomore Johnny Hower (Omaha, Neb.) and junior John Kersenbrock (O’Neill, Neb.). Sawyer has the 16th fastest time in the 400 (48.09), while the 4x100 is 13th in the country (41.55).

Three NWU male athletes will be competing in field events. Sophomore Tommie Bardsley is aiming for his second All-America honor in the high jump. Bardsley, who was fifth at last year’s championships, enters the meet tied for seventh this season with a mark of 6-9 ¾.

Senior Jay Wall (Grant, Neb.) is making a return trip to outdoor nationals in the pole vault. Wall has gone 16-2 this season which is tied for 12th entering the meet. Wall is the NWU school record holder in the pole vault at 16-2 ¾.

The final competitor is junior Jack Chatelain (Kearney, Neb.) in the triple jump. Chatelain qualified last week with a personal best mark of 48-0 which ties him for fifth all-time at NWU.

A pair of returning All-American throwers will be representing the NWU women’s team at nationals. Junior Bailey Soucie (Cambridge, Neb.) has qualified for both the discus and javelin at the 2012 outdoor championships. Soucie placed third in the discus and sixth in the javelin in 2011 to earn All-America in both events. This season she is ninth in the discus (146-6) and ranks 13th in the javelin (139-6). Soucie already holds the school record in the discus.

Fellow junior and All-American Deanna Dirkschneider (North Bend, Neb.) is qualified for the outdoor nationals in the shot put for the third straight season. Dirkschneider comes into the meet with the eighth best mark in the shot put at 45-8 ½. Last season, she placed fourth in the shot put to earn her first All-America honor. She also earned All-America at the 2012 Indoor National Meet with a seventh place finish in the shot put.

NWU Qualifiers

Men

Tommie Bardsley, So., Beatrice, Neb. (Beatrice) – High Jump

Jack Chatelain, Jr., Kearney, Neb. (Kearney) – Triple Jump

Johnny Hower, So., Omaha, Neb. (Millard West) – 4x100 relay

John Kersenbrock, Jr., O’Neill, Neb. (St. Mary’s) – 4x100 relay

Harry Meginnis, Sr., Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln East) – 4x100 relay

Nick Sawyer, Sr., Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln Southwest) – 400 meters, 4x100 relay

Jay Wall, Sr., Grant, Neb. (Perkins County) – Pole Vault

Women

Deanna Dirkschneider, Jr., North Bend, Neb. (North Bend) – Shot Put

Bailey Soucie, Jr., Cambridge, Neb. (Cambridge) – Discus, Javelin

 NWU Schedule of Events