Championship Coverage: (Schedule / Entries / Heat Sheets / Live Results) Lady Buff Qualifiers Photo Gallery GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Like last season, the 2015 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championship is making its way back to Allendale, Mich. Hosted by Grand Valley State University at the GVSU Track & Field Complex, the championship will feature the top student-athletes in over 40 competitive events this coming weekend, Thursday, May 21, through Saturday, May 23. The official selections for qualifying individuals were made by the NCAA last Tuesday and the No. 10 Lady Buffs and No. 14 Buffs of West Texas A&M will be sending an all-time program-high of 24 athletes to the championship.
Twelve women and 12 men will represent the maroon WT at nationals this weekend. Those athletes will do so in 19 separate events, as three relays made the cut, two from the women's side, along with several individuals in multiple events.
The teams arrived in Grand Rapids, Mich. late Monday night after a long day of travel. For the Lady Buffs, three athletes will be competing in three events each, those being juniors
Shanice Cameron (100m, 200m, & 4x100m Relay) and
Libby Strickland (200m, High Jump, & 4x100m Relay) and senior
Sharon Kwarula (100mH, 400mH, & 4x400m Relay). Junior
Alba Casanovas qualified in two events (400mH & 4x400m Relay). Five of the Lady Buffs have already won All-America recognition in their careers at WT while five also qualified for last year's outdoor championship.
Two Lady Buffs from the team have made the trip in their freshman seasons,
Sommer Wilder, competing in the 4x400m relay, and
Marion Gatignol, competing in triple jump. As 24 is an all-time high for the programs combined, the 12 women is also a program-high at a NCAA National Championship. This is also the second time in program history that the Lady Buffs have qualified two relays for nationals. They did so with the 4x100m and 4x400m at the 2013 National Championship in Pueblo, Colo.
THE LADY BUFFS .jpg)
NAME: Shanice CameronCLASS: Junior
HOMETOWN: Bronx, N.Y.
HEIGHT: 5-11
PREVIOUS SCHOOL: Monroe College
COMPETING IN: 100m, 200m, & 4x100m Relay
CAREER/SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: National qualifier in the 60m dash during the 2015 indoor season; Holds school records in both the indoor 55m and 60m events; 2x USTFCCCA All-Region; LSC Champion in the 4x100m Relay and LSC All-Conference during 2015 outdoor season; LSC Track Athlete of the Week during outdoor season; Ranked 14
th nationally in the 100m, 19
th in the 200m, and fifth in the 4x100m relay
NAME: Alba CasanovasCLASS: Junior
HOMETOWN: Súria, Spain
HEIGHT: 5-7
PREVIOUS SCHOOL: IES Mig-Mon
COMPETING IN: 400mH & 4x400m Relay
CAREER/SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Part of school record holding 4x400m relay team; USTFCCCA All-Region during 2015 indoor season; Ranked 18
th in the 400m hurdles and 12
th nationally as part of the 4x400m relay team; Finished third in the 400mH and fifth in the 100mH at the LSC Outdoor Championship this season
NAME: Holly CuniganCLASS: Sophomore
HOMETOWN: Wills Point, Texas
HEIGHT: 5-4
PREVIOUS SCHOOL: Wills Point High School
COMPETING IN: Shot Put
CAREER/SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: 2x national qualifier; Second-Team All-American during 2015 indoor season (shot put); LSC all-time and LSC Championship meet record holder in the indoor shot put; Holds three school records; 2015 LSC indoor Champion in both shot put and weight throw; 2x USTFCCCA All-Region; Currently ranked 10
th nationally in shot put
NAME: Marion GatignolCLASS: Freshman
HOMETOWN: Lille, France
HEIGHT: 5-9
PREVIOUS SCHOOL: COMPETING IN: Triple Jump
CAREER/SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: USTFCCCA All-Region during 2015 outdoor season; LSC Field Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season; Currently ranked 21
st nationally in triple jump; Finished fifth in both the long jump and triple jump this season at the LSC Outdoor Championship
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NAME: Rhemecka GrahamCLASS: Senior
HOMETOWN: Saginaw, Texas
HEIGHT: 5-5
PREVIOUS SCHOOL: Saginaw High School
COMPETING IN: 4x400m Relay
CAREER/SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: 3x national qualifier for track & field; 2013-14 Capital One Academic First-Team All-District for T&F/XC seasons combined; Has written her name in seven school records between indoor and outdoor competition; Multiple USTFCCCA All-Region awards, including during the 2015 indoor season; Ranked 12
th nationally as part of the 4x400m relay team
NAME: Mireia GuarnerCLASS: Junior
HOMETOWN: Catalonia, Spain
HEIGHT: 5-7
PREVIOUS SCHOOL: Collegi Diocesa` Sagrada Famila
COMPETING IN: 1500m & 5000m
CAREER/SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: 2012 All-American during the cross country season; 4x national qualifier in track & field, including three-consecutive trips in the 1500m during outdoor competition; Holds five school records; 2013-14 Capital One Academic First-Team All-District during XC/T&F seasons combined; 2015 LSC All-Conference during indoor and outdoor; Multiple USTFCCCA All-Region honors; Currently ranked 10
th nationally in the 1500m and 21
st in the 5000m
NAME: Sharon KwarulaCLASS: Senior
HOMETOWN: Boroko, Papua New Guinea
HEIGHT: 5-8
PREVIOUS SCHOOL: Iowa Central Community College
COMPETING IN: 100mH, 400mH, & 4x400m Relay
CAREER/SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: 2x All-American (2014 outdoor 400mH & 2015 indoor 60mH); 4x national qualifier in seven total events; 2015 Wes Kittley Award Winner as Most Outstanding Female Field Athlete at the LSC Outdoor Championship; 7x LSC Champion; 4x LSC All-Conference and USTFCCCA All-Region; Holds six school records, one LSC record, and two LSC Championship meet records; Ranked second nationally in both the 100mH and 400mH and 12
th as part of the 4x400m relay team; Competed at the 2014 World Indoor Track & Field Championships in Poland for Papua New Guinea
NAME: Bri LeeperCLASS: Junior
HOMETOWN: Amarillo, Texas
HEIGHT: 5-5
PREVIOUS SCHOOL: Amarillo High School
COMPETING IN: 4x100m Relay
CAREER/SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: 2014 NCAA Elite 89 award winner during the outdoor National Championship; 2013 All-American in the outdoor 4x100m relay; 4x national qualifier; LSC All-Conference and USTFCCCA All-Region each season so far; LSC Academic All-Conference in 2014 and 2015; 2013-14 Capital One Academic Second-Team All-America and First-Team All-District; Currently ranked fifth nationally with the 4x100m relay team; Also a provisional qualifier in the 100m and 200m events this season
NAME: Malika OuedraogoCLASS: Sophomore
HOMETOWN: Antony, France
HEIGHT: 6-0
PREVIOUS SCHOOL:COMPETING IN: Triple Jump
CAREER/SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: 2014 All-American and National Runner-Up in the indoor long jump; 2015 First-Team All-American in indoor long jump; 4x national qualifier (2x automatic qualifier); 2x LSC Champion; 4x USTFCCCA All-Region; Holds school records in indoor and outdoor triple jump; 2015 LSC Academic All-Conference (indoor); 2x LSC Field Athlete of the Week; Currently ranked 10
th in the nation in triple jump
NAME: Jasmine PittsCLASS: Sophomore
HOMETOWN: Midlothian, Texas
HEIGHT: 5-3
PREVIOUS SCHOOL: Midlothian High School
COMPETING IN: 4x100m Relay
CAREER/SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: 2015 LSC Champion in the 4x100m relay; 2015 outdoor LSC All-Conference and USTFCCCA All-Region; Also a provisional qualifier in the 200m dash; LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll each semester; Ranked fifth nationally as part of the 4x100m relay team
NAME: Libby StricklandCLASS: Junior
HOMETOWN: Amarillo, Texas
HEIGHT: 5-7
PREVIOUS SCHOOL: Randall High School
COMPETING IN: 200m, 4x100m Relay, & High Jump
CAREER/SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: 7x All-American (Indoor HJ (x3), PENT (x2) & Outdoor 4x1 & HJ); Provisional qualifier this outdoor season in four events; Qualified for 2014 NCAA outdoor in five events; LSC All-Academic Indoor & Outdoor in 2014 & 2015; 2014 Most Outstanding Track AND Field Athlete awards at LSC Outdoor Championship (41 points, most in LSC, men or women); 2014 LSC Field Athlete of the Year (Outdoor); Five LSC Championships for both 2014 seasons; Owns seven school records & one LSC record; Currently ranked 18
th nationally in the 200m, 13
th in high jump, and fifth as a member of the 4x100m relay team
NAME: Sommer WilderCLASS: Freshman
HOMETOWN: Canyon, Texas
HEIGHT: 5-4
PREVIOUS SCHOOL: Canyon High School
COMPETING IN: 4x400m Relay
CAREER/SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Qualified for this season's national championship as a freshman with the 4x400m relay team; Currently ranked 12
th nationally as a member of that team; Finished seventh in the 400m at the LSC Outdoor Championship this season and scored in both the 200m and 400m events at the LSC Indoor Championship
Check back with
www.GoBuffsGo.com on Wednesday for a closer look at the first two practice days for the Buffs and Lady Buffs along with photos from there and the Championship Social event. For additional updates, follow @WTAMUTrackXC on Twitter. Complete selections for the championship can be found by utilizing the link at the top of the page. Live results, a meet schedule, and heat sheets can be found on the same site, managed by Prime Time Timing, or by navigating to the men's and women's track & field schedule pages. For a look at yesterday's coverage of the men's qualifiers,
CLICK HERE.
