McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University track and field teams participated in the Wartburg and University of La Crosse Final Qualifiers on March 8, with the aim of improving their qualifying marks for the upcoming NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships in Rochester, N.Y., scheduled for March 14-15.

Adriana Crabtree, a junior from Normal, Ill.-University High, competed at the Wartburg Final Qualifier in Waverly, Iowa. She completed her second-fastest mile race of the season with a time of 5:00.80, finishing fourth among 16 competitors.

Evan Lowder, a junior from Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community, set new meet records at UW-La Crosse's Final Qualifier. In the men's 400m event, Lowder recorded a time of 48.04 seconds, breaking his own school record and securing first place. His performance ranks fifth unofficially in Division III this season. Sophomore Reece Dusek from Peoria, Ill.-Dunlap also competed in the same event and finished sixth with a time of 50.52 seconds.

Lowder also excelled in the men's 200m race by setting another meet record with a time of 21.95 seconds. This result ranks him unofficially at 25th in Division III this season.

In addition to these performances, freshman Nick Walker from Metamora, Ill.-Metamora achieved fourth place in the men's high jump with a clearance of 1.93 meters (6'4").

The top-20 declared student-athletes in each individual event and the top-12 declared relay teams will qualify for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships. The final qualifiers list will be announced by the NCAA and USTFCCCA on Sunday, March 9.