Track: Stechschulte Qualifies for NCAAs
March 06, 2007 12:53 PM | General
March 6, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Junior Abbie Stechschulte has qualified for the second consecutive year to compete in the pentathlon at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship in Fayetteville, Ark., on Mar. 9-10.
“As a coach, any time you see your athlete’s name on a national qualifier list, you’re instantly ecstatic,” says WVU track and field coach Jeff Huntoon. “Abbie is a fine representative for the school and heads to the tournament prepared to do better than she did last year.”
The Columbus Grove, Ohio, native placed 16th at last year’s championship with 3,874 points and enters this year’s meet with the 13th best point total (4,016 points).
Stechschulte had an excellent indoor season, winning the pentathlon at the Arkansas Invitational (3,907 points) and repeating as the BIG EAST champion with a personal best score of 4,016 points. Stechschulte’s winning score replaces her previous personal best as the second best point total in school history, behind former national champion Pat Itanyi.
In addition to her success in the pentathlon, Stechschulte has also excelled in the 60 meter hurdles, taking fifth at both last weekend’s ECAC Championship and the BIG EAST Championship.
This weekend’s championship marks the end of the 2007 indoor track and field season. The Mountaineers will begin their outdoor season the following weekend, Mar. 16-17, at the UNC-Charlotte Invitational.
