BEREA, Ohio – Four Baldwin Wallace University track and field student-athletes have earned the right to continue their season at the 2023 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
The outdoor track and field team will be represented by junior All-American distance runner Hope Murphy (Mogadore), sophomore All-OAC runner Abby Collier (Dublin / Coffman), senior All-OAC thrower Brooke Buckhannon (Collins / Western Reserve) and sophomore All-OAC high jumper Christian Pfeiffer (Amherst).
Murphy qualifies for her third apperance in the outdoor championships. She qualifies for the 1500-meter run with her time of 4:28.83 at the Harrison Dillard Twilight. Her last outdoor championship apperance, Murphy placed third in the 1500-meter run in a time of 4:28.79, earning her first all-american honor. At the OAC Outdoor Championships, s he was crowned the OAC Champion in the 800-meter and 1500-meter run. She ran the 800-meter run in a time of 2:15.16 and the 1500-meter in a time of 4:41.76. Murphy was also apart of the 4x400 and 4x800 All-OAC relay teams.
Collier makes her first apperance to the outdoor championships. She qualifies for the 400-meter run with her qualifying time of 56.61 seconds at Augustana College Midwest Twilight Qualifier. At the OAC Outdoor Championships, Collier was runner-up in the 400-meter dash in a time of 57.71, earning her second career outdoor All-OAC honors. She went on to place sixth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.06 seconds. Collier was also apart of the 4x400 All-OAC relay team.
Buckhannon comes back for her second apperance at the outdoor championships. She qualifies for hammer throw with her qualifying mark of 179' 9" at the Jesse Owens Track & Field Classic. Her last apperance at the outdoor championships in 2019, Buckhannon placed 12th in the hammer throw. Buckhannon, the Ohio Athletic Conference Phil Gordon Field Athlete of the Year, won the hammer throw as well as breaking the seven-year old OAC record of 178' 5", her mark being at 178' 9" at the OAC outdoor championships. She also was the runner up in shot put with a mark of 41' 2¼". She was fifth in discus throw with a distance of 130' 9".
Pfeiffer makes his first apperance to the outdoor championships. He qualifies for high jump with his qualifying height of 6' 8.75" at the OAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Pfeiffer qualified for the indoor championships where he placed finished 15th with a height of 6' 6". At the OAC Championships, Pfeiffer won the high jump with height of 6' 8¾", earning his first outdoor All-OAC honor. He won the high jump at the OAC indoor Championships this past winter as well.
The NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be contested Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 25-27 at the Polisseni Track and Field Complex in Rochester, N.Y.
