Issued: May 21, 2003

BLUGOLD TRACK SENDS SIX TO NATIONALS

CANTON, N.Y. - The UW-Eau Claire men's track team will be sending two competitors while the women's side will be sending six to the 2003 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships held here at the Merrick-Pinkard Track on the St. Lawrence University campus.

The men's team will be sending John Schuna (So.-Hudson) and John Brummond-Smith (Sr.-Waunakee) to nationals. Schuna will be competing in both the shot put and discus competitions. Schuna currently holds the school record in the shot put with a distance of 17.55 meters. He placed third in the shot put and fifth in the discus at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships this year. Schuna qualified for the shot put with a throw of 17.22 meters and for the discus with a throw of 50.59 meters.

Brummond-Smith will be competing in the 400-meter hurdles competition. He has achieved the school record in the event the last four times out and currently holds the record with his time of 52.93 seconds. Brummond-Smith took second in the WIAC Outdoor Championships this year with a time of 54.78 seconds.

Breanna McMullen (Jr.-Fall Creek) will be heading up the women's track and field team while competing in the 100 and 400-meter hurdles. McMullen currently holds the school record in both events with times of 14.47 seconds in the 100-meter and 1:01.70 in the 400-meter. She took first at the WIAC Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter and second in the 100-meter.

Joining McMullen will be Jennifer Stafslien (So.-Onalaska/West Salem), Stephanie Barnes (Fr.-Sauk City/Sauk Prairie) and Brooke Wozniak (Jr.-Stanley/Stanley-Boyd). Stafslien will be competing along with McMullen in the 100-meter hurdles as well as the triple jump. She became the school record holder in the triple jump at the WIAC Outdoor Championships with a jump of 11.63 meters. Stafslien also took first in the 100-meter hurdles at the Championships with her time of 14.73 seconds.

Barnes will be competing in the pole vault competition. She became the school record holder in the event with her height of 3.52 meters at the Leo Schnur Meet held in La Crosse earlier this year. Barnes' effort of 3.46 meters at the Outdoor Championships was good for third.

Wozniak will be participating in the discus throw. She qualified for nationals with her distance of 44.98 meters at the Titan Last Chance Meet held earlier this year. Wozniak also placed fourth at the Outdoor Championships with her distance of 41.69 meters.

The Championships will kick off tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. with the men's discus final. The women's discus final will be held at 1:30 p.m. followed by the women's pole vault final at 4 p.m., the men's 400-meter hurdles preliminaries at 4:15 p.m. and the women's 400-meter hurdles prelims at 4:30 p.m.