Ramsey, Jones To Compete in NCAA Championships
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Whit HaynesEric Jones and Dan Ramsey will compete in the NCAA Championships
Four members of St. Lawrence University's indoor track and field teams will contend for national championships when the 2010 NCAA Division III Championships get underway Friday at DePauw University in Greencastle Indiana.
The Saints will be represented in the men's competition by senior thrower Eric Jones in the 35 pound weight competition and by junior Dan Ramsey in the 5000 meters. Senior Alyssa Pirinelli will compete in both the shot put and the 20 pound weight throw for the women and junior Wendy Pavlus will run the 5000 meters.
Pirinelli will be the first of the Saint quartet to compete as the women's weight throw gets underway at 2 p.m. on Friday. Pirinelli is a seven time All America including four All America performances in last year's indoor and outdoor championships. She was seventh in the weight throw last year and is going after a fourth straight All America finish in the shot put when that event gets underway on Saturday. She was third in the shot put in both her first NCAA appearance in 2007 and a year ago and seventh as a sophomore. She has the best throw in the country in the shot thus far this season at 16.49 meters (48-2.5) and has the sixth best throw nationally in the weight at 17.36 meters (56-11.5).
Jones will compete in his third NCAA championship and was an All America last year in the weight throw, finishing second. He has the second best throw thus far this season at 19.31 meters (63-4.25) trailing only Wisconsin Oshkosh thrower Ben Ludke, who leads the country with a 19.65 meter throw. The men's weight will be contested at 5 p.m. Friday.
Pavlus and Ramsey will take to the track late Saturday afternoon and each will be out to earn All America honors in the second straight season. Pavlus was NCAA Division III women's cross country champion last fall and is a two-time All America in the 5000 indoors. She has the seventh best time nationally this season at 17:10.34, just seven seconds off the nation's top time held by Kerry Arouca of Westfield State. Arouca and Pavlus will be among 15 competitors in the event.
Ramsey finished fourth in the NCAA men's Division III cross country championship in the fall to earn All America status and is making his second NCAA track and field appearance after running in the outdoor 10,000 as a freshman. He has the sixth best time thus far this season at 14:33.16, six seconds off the time of Amherst's Daniel Murner. A total of 12 runners qualified for the championship race.