SMU's Kalu Set to Travel to the NCAA Championships

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Kalu Set to Travel to the NCAA Championships
Kalu Will Compete In The 60-Meter Dash

March 11, 2014

Kalu Set to Travel to the NCAA Championships:
Junior Stephanie Kalu is set to travel to Albuquerque, N.M. to compete in at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The meet will last from March 14-15 as Kalu will compete in the 60-meter dash at the championship.

Qualifying for the NCAA Championships:
To qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, a student-athlete must rank in the top 16 in the country in their respective event to earn a trip to Albuquerque. Kalu stands 10th in the country in the 60-meter dash following her time of 7.28 seconds at the inaugural American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships. Kalu looks to earn her second career All-America honor and first in door accolade.

Looking Ahead:
Following the NCAA Indoor Championships, the SMU Indoor Track & Field Team begins its outdoor season as the team travels to Fort Worth, Texas for the TCU Horned Frog Invitational on March, 21.

We Are The Champions:
SMU won the inaugural Indoor American Athletic Conference Indoor Championship as the Mustangs totaled 118.5 points over the two-day meet. Three student-athletes claimed individual titles for SMU as juniors Stephanie Kalu (60-meter dash, 7.31 seconds) and Rayann Chin (shot put, 15.99 meters) and sophomore Lucija Cvitanovic (pentathlon, 3,854 points) led the way for SMU. Chin was named as the 2014 Most Outstanding Field Athlete while Director of Track & Field Dave Wollman and his staff were selected as the Women's Coaching Staff of the Year. The title was the first women's indoor crown in program history. The meet was held at the Armory in New York.

In addition to the 60-meter, Kalu placed second in the 200-meter dash with a personal-record time of 23.94 seconds. She is also the lone Mustang qualified to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships in two weeks on March, 14-15 in Albuquerque, N.M. At that meet, Kalu will race in the 60-meter dash.

The aforementioned Perez, and freshman Tochi Nlemchi finished third (15.66 meters) and eighth (14.14 meters) in the same event.

In the 3,000-meter run, SMU notched five top 10 finishers which proved to clinch the championship as freshmen Agnes Sjöström and Tova Magnusson placed second (9:40.51) and fifth (9:46.07) and sophomores Melanie Stemper, Shanoah Souza and Holly Archer finished sixth (9:46.24), seventh (9:49.13) and 10th (9:49.13), respectively.

In addition, Archer, sophomore Karoline Skatteboe and Magnusson also finished runner-up, fourth and seventh in the one mile run with times of 4:53.67, 4:56.93 and 4:59.66, respectively.

In the high jump, senior Lisa Egarter placed fourth as she leaped a height of 1.72 meters.

Archer, Chin, Kalu, Perez and Sjöström all earned all-conference honors for finishing in the top three in of their respective events on day two.

Chin Up:
Following her outstanding performance at the Iowa State Classic, junior thrower Rayann Chin was named the indoor track & field Athlete of the Week on Feb. 18. Competing against a strong field in Ames, Iowa, Chin took first place in the weight throw with a mark of 20.82 meters. That mark ranked her first in The American, 14th in the nation and second all-time at SMU in that event. In addition, Chin placed fourth in the shot put with a distance of 14.92m.

Kalu's A Two-Time Athlete of the Week:
Junior Stephanie Kalu was named as the American Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week for the second consecutive week on Feb. 4. Kalu earned this award for finishing first in the 55-meter dash, breaking her own school record for the second-straight week with a time of 6.75 (which converts to 7.29 in the 60-meter dash). That 60-meter time ranks her seventh nationally and first in The American at the Masked Rider Invitational.

Kalu won her first weekly honor when he paced the Mustangs at the Vanderbilt Indoor Invitational on January 25. At that meet, Kalu took first place in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.34 seconds and placed 13th in the 200-meter in 24.92.

Mustangs Competed at the Iowa State Classic:
Freshman Agnes Sjöström paced the Mustang distance runners as she placed ninth (9:33.86) in the 3000-meter run and 14th (16:31.05) in the 5000-meter run as the SMU indoor track and field team competed at the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa. Sjöström held the top times in the American Athletic Conference in both the 3000-meter and 5000-meter events following the meet.

In the throwing events for SMU, junior Rayann Chin placed first in the weight throw with a personal best mark of 20.82 meters. That mark not only gives her the top distance in the conference but it ranked her 14th in the country. In addition to Chin, senior Helena Perez placed third in the shot put with a mark of 15.14 meters.

SMU Competed At The Red Raider Invitational:
Junior Stephanie Kalu placed first in the 55-meter dash and reset her own school-record with a time of 6.75 seconds as the SMU indoor track and field team continued its indoor season at the Red Raider Invitational in Lubbock, Texas. In addition to Kalu, sophomore Rachel Scruggs placed eighth in the 200-meter dash as she crossed the finish line in a time of 25.16. The Ponies earned first, second and third in the one mile run as freshman Agnes Sjöström, senior Caitlin Keen and sophomore Shanoah Souza finished with times of 5:04.77, 5:05.19 and 5:05.37, respectively.

The Mustangs dominated the throwing events and were led by junior Rayann Chin as she placed first in the weight throw (19.81m) and second (14.36m) in the shot put. With her mark in the weight throw, Chin recorded the top distance in the American Athletic Conference.

SMU Competed At The Vanderbilt Indoor Invitational:
The SMU indoor track and field team continued its 2014 indoor season this past weekend at the Vanderbilt Indoor Invitational in Nashville, Tenn., where the Mustangs had 17 individuals' record top 10 finishes in the unscored meet.

Junior Stephanie Kalu took first place in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.34 seconds. Her time not only broke her own SMU record, but ranks her first in The American and ninth in the nation in that event. In addition, junior Craishia Washington placed fourth (7.53) in the 60-meter dash and sixth (24.92) in the 200-meter dash. Senior Helena Perez and junior Rayann Chin led the Mustang throwers as they placed fifth (15.34m) and sixth (15.12m) in the shot put. Chin also notched a fifth place finish in the weight throw with a mark of 18.61m. In the distance events, freshman Tova Magnusson led SMU in the 3000-meter run with a sixth place finish as she crossed the finish line in a time of 9:43.94.

Mustangs Opened Indoor Season At Texas A&M:
The SMU indoor track and field team opened its 2014 season this past weekend at the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station, Texas, where the Mustangs placed third as a team and had 17 individual top 10 finishes.

Freshman Tova Magnusson and sophomore Holly Archer paced the distance runners as they finished second and third in the one mile run with times of 4:51.96 and 4:52.3, respectively. Senior Helena Perez and junior Rayann Chin led the throwers as Perez finished fourth in the shot put (50'00") while Chin placed third in the weight throw (61'0.25"). In addition, senior Lisa Egarter finished third in the high jump with mark of 5'8". For the sprinters, junior Stephanie Kalu paced the Mustangs as she placed third in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.47.

Mustang Distance Runners Found Great Success Last Fall:
The Mustang cross country team achieved many goals during the 2013 season and will now try to carry that momentum into the indoor and outdoor seasons for track & field. The team accomplishments from this past fall included winning the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship and advancing as a team to the NCAA Championship meet by placing second at the South Central Regional meet. Individually, SMU had six individuals earn All-American Athletic Conference honors and three student-athletes earn All-Region accolades.