Nebraska Wesleyan University will have 11 athletes competing in 12 different events at the 2010 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships that will be held on May 27-29 at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Seven women and four men have qualified for the track & field championships for the Prairie Wolves.

Three NWU women are qualified in multiple events led by freshman Taylor Tacha who will be in three events. Tacha (Bertrand, Neb.) is qualified in both hurdle races and the 4x100 relay. She enters the meet with the 12th fastest time in the 100 hurdles (14.65) and 19th in the 400 hurdles (63.22). She is joined on the 4x100 relay team by Erin Twibell, Allee Kuska and Anne Kersenbrock. The 4x100 team has the eighth fastest time in NCAA III with a time of 47.80.

Junior Amanda Brichacek (Schuyler, Neb.) will be making her second straight appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Brichacek is competing in both the hammer throw and the shot put. Her school record mark of 179-7 in the hammer throw is the sixth best mark in the country, while she enters the meet 18th in the shot put (43-3).

Senior Jackie Spelts (Burwell, Neb.) is also competing in two different events. The GPAC Champion and two-time cross country All-American has qualified for the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races. Spelts has the eighth best time in the 5,000 (17:01.54) and 14th fastest time in the 10,000 (36:10.20).

Also competing for the NWU women is freshman Deanna Dirkschneider (North Bend, Neb.) in the shot put. She has the ninth best mark in the country in the shot put with a toss of 45-4.

Four Nebraska Wesleyan men qualified for the NCAA III National Meet. Junior Kevin Janata (Howells, Neb.) will be competing in the 110-meter hurdles. He has an automatic qualifying time of 14.41 is the fifth fastest time in the country.

Junior Elliott Bulling (Lincoln, Neb.) will be representing the Prairie Wolves throwers in the shot put. Bulling enters the meet with the 10th best mark in the country with a toss of 54-11.

A pair of true freshmen will be competing for the Prairie Wolves men in the long jump. John Kersenbrock (O’Neill, Neb.) and Jack Chatelain (Kearney, Neb.) both qualified for the long jump in their first season of competition. Kersenbrock has the eighth best mark (23-11), while Chatelain enters the meet with the 14th best leap (23-7).

NWU Qualifiers

Women

Amanda Brichacek, Jr., Schuyler, Neb. (Schuyler Central) – Hammer Throw, Shot Put

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

Anne Kersenbrock, Sr., O’Neill, Neb. (St. Mary’s) – 4x100 Relay

Allee Kuska, Jr., Exeter, Neb. (Exeter-Milligan) – 4x100 Relay

Jackie Spelts, Sr., Burwell, Neb. (Burwell) – 5,000 Meters, 10,000 Meters

Taylor Tacha, Fr., Bertrand, Neb. (Bertrand) – 100 Meter Hurdles, 400 Meter Hurdles, 4x100 Relay

Erin Twibell, Fr., Orchard, Neb. (Orchard) – 4x100 Relay

Men

Elliott Bulling, Jr., Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln Northeast) – Shot Put

Jack Chatelain, Fr., Kearney, Neb. (Kearney) – Long Jump

Kevin Janata, Jr., Howells, Neb. (Howells) – 110 Meter Hurdles

John Kersenbrock, Fr., O’Neill, Neb. (St. Mary’s) – Long Jump