University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI track & field: Wilson, Shavers punch tickets to NCAA Championships
5/25/2023 10:13:00 PM | Track and Field
Panther women take sixth and seventh place to qualify for national championship meet in the hammer throw.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. --- Members of the UNI's women's track and field team will be represented at next month's NCAA Championships for the first time since 2016 as Makenna Wilson and Mari Shavers both punched their tickets to Austin on Wednesday at Hornet Stadium.
The first Panther women to qualify for the national championship meet since Paige Knodle in 2016, Wilson and Shavers both finished inside the top-12 to qualify for NCAA Championships, scheduled for June 7-10 at Mike Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus. It also marks the first time UNI has had an athlete qualify for the NCAA Championships in the women's hammer throw in program history.
Wilson set the pace early on her first attempt, throwing 66.47 meters to secure her spot among the field's leaders. The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) hammer throw champion also recorded throws of 65.68 and 62.65 meters to finish in sixth place.
Shavers saved her best for last with a new career-best mark of 65.58 meters on her final attempt. The Waterloo, Iowa native also threw 62.97 meters on her first throw, and 64.35 meters on her second. Shavers' latest personal-best improves her standing in UNI's all-time record book where she ranks second in school history in the event, just behind Wilson's 66.69-meter toss from earlier this season.Â
In the women's shot put, Katie Fare finished in 22nd place with a 15.87-meter throw on her second attempt of the night. Fare, who placed 36th in the event at the NCAA Regionals last year in Fayetteville, Arkansas, finishes an impressive redshirt junior season having notched the second-best throw in the event in school history earlier this season with a 17.09-meter toss. Wilson, fresh off her first NCAA Championship berth earlier in the day, threw for 15.69 meters in a 29th place effort.
UP NEXT
The Panthers conclude competition in Sacramento on Friday, with Carter Morton beginning the day for UNI in the men's high jump at 4:30 p.m. CT. UNI's men's 4x100-meter relay team of Tinashe Chigudu, Luke Meyers, Isaiah Trousil and Deonte Dean are slated to run at 7 p.m. CT, while Trousil also looks to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships as an individual, running the 100 and 200-meter quarterfinals at 8:35 p.m. CT and 9:50 p.m. CT respectively. Running events will be streamed live on ESPN+ with a subscription.
Players Mentioned
