DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Qualifies Five for NCAA Outdoor Prelims
5/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | TRACK AND FIELD
Men's Qualifiers | Women's Qualifiers
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Five members from the DePaul track and field team have qualified for the Preliminary Rounds of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the NCAA announced on Thursday.
The Prelims will be held from May 28-30 in Austin, Texas.
Matt Babicz and Blake Thompson will represent the Blue Demons on the men's side, while MaShayla Kirksy, Jackie Kasal and Bailey Dell will make the trip on the women's side.Â
Babicz was a 2014 NCAA Outdoor National Qualifier and second team All-American in the shot put. This season he won the BIG EAST Indoor and Outdoor Championships and was a first team All-American in indoor competition. His seed of 19.43 meters in outdoor play ranks fifth nationally. Thompson, meanwhile, ranks 37th in the nation in the discus, qualifying for the Prelims with a best throw of 54.46 meters. He was named BIG EAST All-Conference in the discus as well.
Kirksy won the BIG EAST Indoor and Outdoor conference championships in the long jump and her longest jump, a personal record of 6.10 meters, landed her in 24th place in the country. Kasal, a senior, will race for DePaul in the 800-meter run; she ranks 37th in the nation in the event (2:08.89). Finally Dell, who won the BIG EAST javelin championship, will compete in the javelin event thanks to her No. 33 mark of 46.74 meters.
Should any or all of the five Blue Demon national qualifiers advance, the next events will take place June 10-13 in Eugene, Ore., at the National Outdoor Championships.
Players Mentioned
