ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (May 19, 2023) – Loras College's track & field teams made one final push for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships on Thursday as the Duhawks took part in the Augustana College Midwest Twilight last chance meet.

The fourth-ranked Duhawk men set three season-best marks that have them inside the cutoff line of the NCAA national qualifications, while the second-ranked Duhawk women set four such marks that either secured spots or put them on the cusp of qualification.

The biggest beneficiary for the men's squad was senior Ray Venditti, who won the pole vault with a career-best 4.87-meter clearance, moving him to 20^th in the country on deadline day.

Junior Ryan Harvey placed second in the 1500-meter race on Thursday and ran a time of 3:46.03, moving him up to ninth place in Division III and solidifying his place in the national field.

Finally, junior Holden Murphy locked himself into the discus field even further as his school-record mark of 53.75 meters earned him second place at Augustana and moved him to third in Division III.

Other notable finishes in the event standings at Augustana included a fourth-place finish for senior Josh Smith in the 200-meter dash, a fifth-place finish for Murphy in the hammer throw, and a ninth-place finish for sophomore Julian Watson in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

For the women, senior Gabrielle Noland continued to improve as her 400-meter time of 53.72 is a new school record and is best in Division III this season. Noland also followed teammates Harmony Creasy, Marion Edwards, and Stevie Lambe as the final leg of their 4x100-meter relay that will likely enter the national meet as the top seed after running a 45.72 on Thursday in Rock Island.

Another relay team, this time the 4x400-meter relay squad, vaulted to ninth-best in the country as Elly Burds, Creasy, Aaliyah Collier, and Alyssa Pfadenhauer ran a 3:47.20. That is only the second-best 4x400-meter relay time for Loras this season, but it does potentially add some depth for the Duhawk coaches heading to the national meet.

Finally, the freshman Burds elevated herself from 40^th to 23^rd in the country in the 800-meters with a 2:12.17. Despite the impressive jump in the standings, that time is likely going to fall just shy of qualifying Burds for the national championships.

Other notable finishes for Loras at Augustana included fourth-place finishes for each senior Merryl Green in the 400-meter hurdles and senior Ellie Osterberger in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and fifth- and sixth-place finishes for Lambe and Creasy in the 200-meter dash.

Official qualifiers for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be released later today, Friday May 19. The championship meet runs May 25-27 in Rochester, N.Y.