Teams: Women's Track & Field: Press Releases

Monday, May 24, 2010

FOUR JUMBOS QUALIFY FOR NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP MEET

Senior Kanku Kabongo will compete at the NCAA meet for the first time

MEDFORD -- Four members of the Tufts University women's track & field team will crown the 2009-10 year by competing in the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships hosted by Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio Thursday through Saturday.

Two of the NCAA travelers for the Jumbos have experience at the national meet, and two are newcomers. Sophomores Nakeisha Jones (Boston, MA) and Dayorsha Collins (Boston, MA) have both been to NCAA's before. Junior Kanku Kabongo (Abington, MA) and first year Kelly Allen (Norton, MA) are both making their first appearance at Nationals. All of the Tufts action will occur on Saturday (May 29). The high jump, featuring Collins, begins at 11:30 am. Allen will be in the discus throw, for which trials followed by finals start at noon. The triple jump competition, featuring Jones and Kabongo, starts at 2:30 pm.

Jones, who has three NCAA top-five finishes in the triple jump, is the #8 seed in the 2010 NCAA Outdoor's event with a 39'1 1/4" (11.92m) season's best from the NESCAC Championships on April 24. She was third at NCAA Outdoors last season, and has been second Indoors this past winter and fourth Indoors in 2009. Kabongo is the 15th seed this week, with her qualifying 38'3 1/4" (11.66m) coming at the ECAC Championships on May 13.

Allen is ranked 12th entering the NCAA discus throw with a 146'6" (44.67m) mark that she finished the season with at MIT's Last Chance Qualifier this past Friday. That is the school record in the event. Collins is 12th in the NCAA high jump field on the strength of her 5'6" (1.68m) clearance during the New England Division III Championships on May 1. She was 11th at the 2009 NCAA Indoors for the event.

►2010 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships website

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