March 5, 2023 – With the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships looming this weekend, the fourth-ranked Loras College men's track & field team took on a pair of last chance meets over the weekend in an effort to improve on any potential qualifying marks.

The Duhawks sent athletes to the Final Qualifying Meet at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville on Friday as others headed to the Wartburg College qualifier on Saturday.

Junior Derik Bunten made the most of his opportunity at the Wartburg qualifier on Saturday as he set the program's long jump record at 7.58 meters. That mark ascends him to the top spot on the Division III qualifying list as he could enter the national championship as the top seed.

Bunten also put himself on the cusp of qualifying for the 60-meter dash as he ran a career-best 6.84 in the preliminaries, moving him to 20^th in the country and second on Loras' all-time list.

Senior Ray Venditti improved on his high jump mark with a 2.04-meter clearance on Saturday which ranks him 12^th in Division II as a result. It also moves him up a few places into a tie for fifth in the program record book.

The official selections for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships will be announced tonight, Sunday March 5, at 7 P.M. ET here on ncaa.com. The Duhawks will be aiming for a shot at the national title on Friday-Saturday, March 10-11 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala.