Courtesy of GoCobbers.com, Release: May 22

Complete NCAA Meet Qualifiers

Complete NCAA Meet Heat Sheet

NCAA Outdoor Meet Website

MOORHEAD, Minn. (5/22/06)-- Three individuals and the 4x400-meter relay team will compete at the NCAA Division III National Track and Field Meet that begins on Thursday, May 25 at Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill. it was announced by the NCAA on Monday.

Leading the Cobber contingent are seniors Natalie Hanson (Rogers, Minn./Elk River HS) and Angie Pfeiffer (Colman, S.D./Colman-Egan HS). Hanson automatically qualified in the 800 meters and 1500 meters and was part of the 4x400-meter relay team that posted a provisionally qualifying mark that earned a spot in the national meet.

Hanson will be making her second appearance at an NCAA National Outdoor Track and Field Meet. Last year she competed in the 1500 meters but did not make the finals in the event. She is the first Cobber track and field athlete to automatically qualify for a national meet in two different events in over 10 years.

She currently holds the seventh fastest time in the nation in the 800 meters (2:11.96) and ninth fastest time in the 1500 meters (4:33.65).

Pfeiffer automatically qualified in the 400 meters and was also part of the 4x400 squad. She provisionally qualified in the 200 meters as well but turned down the invitation in that race to concentrate on the 400 meters and as part of the relay.

Pfeiffer's time of 55.87 in the 400 meters that she posted at the Kansas Relays on Apr. 21 is the fourth fastest time in the nation.

Pfeiffer will be making her third consecutive appearance at an NCAA National Meet and sixth overall appearance at the nationals. She has qualified for the national outdoor meet in all four years of competition at Concordia. She will be hoping to add to her five previous All-American awards.

The other four Concordia national invitees include Heather Schuster (Sr., Grafton, N.D./Minto HS) in the 800 meters and Alissa Bilden (Jr., Miles City, Mont./Custer County HS) and Kelly Olson (Jr., Minot, N.D./Bishop Ryan HS) as part of the relay team. Amy Ravenhorst (Jr., Hollandale, Minn./Albert Lea HS) will also compete in the meet as the alternate on the 4x400-meter relay team.

Schuster is making her first NCAA National Meet appearance after posting her qualifying time of 2:12.67 at the UW-La Crosse NCAA Qualifier Meet.

The trio of Bilden, Olson and Ravenhorst has earned a spot as part of the 4x400-meter relay team in three straight NCAA National Meets. They earned All-American status in 2004. Pfeiffer is expected to join the three on the relay team for the national meet. Ravenhorst will take Hanson's spot on the squad so that Hanson can concentrate on the 800 meters and 1500 meters.

The Cobber 4x400-meter relay team enters the meet with the seventh fastest time in the nationa after speeding to a 3:51.37 at the Ron Masanz Invitational at MSU Moorhead on May 6.

Hanson and Schuster are scheduled to race in the same preliminary heat in the 800 meters on Friday, May 26 at 5:20pm. Hanson will start her national meet meet by competing in the second preliminary heat in the 1500 meters on Thursday, May 25 at 4:15pm.

Pfeiffer is slated to run in the opening preliminary heat of the 400 meters on Friday, May 26 at 4:20pm. She will then turn around and try to help the 4x400-meter relay team qualify for the finals when they compete at 7:20pm in the first heat of qualifying.