ROCHESTER, N.Y. (May 26, 2023) - Two days down, just one to go for Loras College track & field at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, and the Duhawk brand was on display again as senior Grace Alley claimed the title in the heptathlon.  

After four events on Thursday, Alley entered day two in third place in the overall standings, but showed out in the final three events that included a runner-up finish in the long jump and a fifth-place finish in the javelin. She entered the 800-meters with a 67-point lead and finished fourth in the final heat to secure herself her first individual national championship with a total of 5278 points. 

Alley's point total breaks her own school record from earlier this season and now stands as the fifth-best point total in Division III history.

In addition to Alley's success, the women's team also saw senior Alyssa Pfadenhauer move on to Saturday finals in the 400-meters with a time of 54.81 that placed her second in her heat. 

On a relatively light day for Loras, senior Gabrielle Noland came home ninth overall in the 100-meter dash to finish just one position shy of transferring for finals. Senior Marion Edwards was also 17th overall in the event while freshman Elly Burds placed 16th in the 800-meters. 

After two days, the three-time defending champions and No. 2 ranked Duhawks have 22 points to lead the No. 1 ranked University of Wisconsin-La Crosse by five points heading into Saturday. 

On the men's side, a pair of seniors in Mike Jasa and Carter Oberfoell each advanced to Saturday's 800-meter finals. Jasa came home second in his heat to earn an automatic qualifier with a time of 1:49.28, which was third-best overall in the preliminary round. In a separate heat, Oberfoell placed fourth with a 1:49.68 that was just enough to give him the eighth and final qualifying spot by just 0.04 seconds. 

Friday's first event saw senior Ray Venditti take the stage in the pole vault, where he finished in a tie for 16th place after clearing 4.75 meters on his third attempt. There was a six-way tie for fourth place on the podium at that height. 

Day three of the outdoor championships take place on Saturday, May 27, at the Polisenni Track & Field Complex in Rochester, N.Y. and begin at 10 A.M. ET.