Four Pioneers Qualify For NCAA Outdoor Championships

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville track and field teams will send senior Justin Eichler, sophomore McKade Jelinek, sophomore Caden Schneider, and freshman Hailey Campbell to the 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 23-25 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The championships will be held at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium with Coastal Carolina University and Myrtle Beach Regional Sports Alliance serving as hosts.

Eichler enters the championships as the Division III leader in the hammer throw, with his school record mark of 67.32m (220' 10") from the Augustana Meet of Champions on April 20 finishing over 11 feet further than the second-place qualifier. A two-time All-American in the hammer, Eichler will compete at his fourth consecutive outdoor championships. The Mukwonago native will also throw in the discus championships at the meet, with his personal-best of 54.18m (177' 9") back on April 6 at the Mississippi River Rumble placing his seventh in Division III.

Jelinek heads to his second straight outdoor championships after qualifying in the discus for the second time. The sophomore enters the championships ranked 13^th overall in the discus behind his season-best mark of 52.19m (171' 3") from this past week at the Augustana Midwest Final Qualifier.

Schneider improved his time in the 3000m steeplechase each meet he ran, culminating with his qualifying school-record time of 8:57.92 at Augustana last week. Needing a strong race to solidify his spot to nationals, the sophomore cut over three seconds off his prior best time to lock in his trip to South Carolina. Schneider holds the 14^th-fastest time in Division III in the event and has knocked off nearly 30 seconds from his first 3000m steeplechase off the season back in late March.

Campbell heads to her first NCAA Championships as a freshman after winning the high jump at the WIAC Outdoor Championships with a mark of 1.69m (5' 6.5"). The WIAC Women's Newcomer of the Year moved into a three-way tie for second on the Pioneers All-Time List in the high jump and enters the national meet tied for 11^th in Division III.