March 6, 2023 – With both of Loras College's indoor track and field programs ranked inside the top 5, it's no surprise that each team has 12 qualifying marks for this week's NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships.

The third-ranked Duhawk women have seven individuals who have qualified to participate as individuals along with their 4x400-meter relay team. Loras' fourth-ranked men's team will send nine individual qualifiers to the event to go along with their 4x400-meter relay and their distance medley relay teams.

Senior Grace Alley is the leader for the Duhawk women as she will be entered in three individual events on Friday-Saturday, March 10-11 in Birmingham, Ala. Alley enters the championships as the No. 2 seed in the pentathlon (3681 points), the No. 3 seed in the triple jump (12.10m), and the No. 8 seed in the women's high jump (1.70m). Alley was an All-American at least season's indoor championships in both the pentathlon (6^th) and the triple jump (3^rd).

Senior Marion Edwards and sophomore Harmony Creasy will compete twice as individuals this weekend. Edwards is the No. 5 seed in the 60-meter dash (7.60) and the No. 15 seed in the 200-meter dash (24.80) while Creasy enters as the No. 4 seed in the women's long jump (5.84m) and the No. 12 seed in the triple jump (1.91m).

Senior Alyssa Pfadenhauer is the No. 3 seed in the 400-meter dash (55.37) and is also one of the four members of the 4x400-meter relay team, along with seniors Stevie Lambe, Merryl Green, and freshman Elly Burds. That group is the No. 6 seed out of 12 entries.

Rounding out the women's teams entries are freshman Caitlyn Cox in the weight throw (No. 2 seed – 18.77m), sophomore Aaliyah Collier in the high jump (T-No. 10 seed – 1.68m), and junior De'ja Austin-Cherry in the triple jump (T-No. 13 seed – 11.82m).

The Duhawk men have just one individual who is qualified in multiple events as junior Derik Bunten has made the field in each the long jump and the 60-meter dash. Bunten enters the long jump field as the No. 1 seed (7.58m) and the 60-meter field tied for the No. 17 seed (6.84) after he made the most out of Loras' qualifier weekend and set both of those marks at the Wartburg College Qualifier on Saturday.

Bunten's No. 1 seed in the long jump is not the only top seed for Loras as senior Mike Jasa also enters as the No. 1 seed in the 800-meters. Jasa (1:48.78) and No. 5 seed Carter Oberfoell (1.50.40) were both All-Americans in the race last season and will be aiming for the podium again this week.

Jasa also headlines Loras' top-seeded distance medley relay team that includes senior Wyatt Kelly and juniors Ryan Harvey and Ted Kruse. That team set a new NCAA Division III record this season with a 9:39.80 earlier this season, which all but locked them in as the top seed for this season's championship meet. Their time is just shy of two full seconds better than the second-seeded team from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

Kelly (No. 6 seed – 4:03.90) and Harvey (No. 14 seed – 4:06.73) are also qualified for the mile while freshman Matt Kruse aims for a podium finish as the No. 3 seed in the 400-meter dash (47.57).

In the field, junior Holden Murphy is the No. 6 seed in the weight throw (18.84m) while senior Ray Venditti is the No. 16 seed in the high jump (2.04m) to round out the Duhawk qualifiers.

The NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships take place on Friday-Saturday, March 10-11 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala.