ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – The Loras College men's and women's track and field program competed at the Augustana College Midwest Final Qualifier Wednesday and Thursday in an effort to bolster the Duhawks' final times and marks ahead of the 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, which are slated to begin May 23 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
A slew of athletes recorded personal bests over the two-day meet, highlighted by Holden Murphy who broke his own school record by nearly two meters (61.43m/201-8), which moved the junior out of Benton, Wis., up to fifth on the national list.  

Also breaking records was the men's 4x100-meter relay team of De'Andre Klein, Josh Smith, Derik Bunten, and Dayvion Foreman, who closed out the race at 40.50, which not only broke a year-old record at Loras but also reset the American Rivers Conference record – placing the group 10^th on the outdoor performance list. Bunten would later go on to win the long jump competition with a mark of 7.39 meters (24-3).

Joe Franke won the 800-meter race, finishing with a time of 1:49.06. That mark is the fourth-fastest in all of Division III this year, while also placing the junior third on the program's top 10 list.

Other top performers for the men included Ray Venditti, who placed second in the pole vault with a mark of 4.90 meters (16-0.75), Jacob Belha, who finished third in the 1,500-meter race at 3:56.74, and Ted Kruse, who finished fifth in the 400 hurdles at 53.43.

On the women's side, Frankie Chaidez closed out the 800-meter race at 2:12.88, which set a new personal best for the junior and placed her fifth all time in program history.

The 4x100-meter squad consisting of Harmony Creasy, Kelly Kohlhof, Megan McDonald, and Emma Seipel finished second with a time of 46.39, which sits sixth in program history and fourth in Division III.

Meanwhile, Grace Alley, Alyssa Pfadenhauer, Creasy, and Kohlhof would later go on to win the 4x400-meter relay race with a time of 3:46.16, which ties the fifth-fastest time in program history. Individually, Pfadenhauer finished second in the 400-meter race at 55.77, while Sara Hoskins won the high jump at 1.72 meters (5-7.75). Seipel was victorious in the long jump, achieving 5.84 meters (19-2) as a winning mark.

Official qualifiers for the national meet will be announced in a press release later today via the NCAA.