COLUMBIA, S.C.- After fantastic regular season performances
Deanna Trucksess (Spirit Lake, Iowa/Spirit Lake),
Emily Ashton (Camas, Wash./St. Mary's Academy), and
Caroline Ringsmuth (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) qualified to compete in the NCCAA National Championships which took place this weekend. The trio of athletes along with their coaches made the trip to Columbia, South Carolina to compete against the top track athletes in the NCCAA.
Day One
The University of Northwestern Women's Track and Field team is coming off of a great weekend at the UMAC Championships last weekend and is looking to ride that momentum this weekend at the National Christian College Athletic Association National Championships. The Eagles sent a trio of athletes who qualified for Nationals to South Carolina to compete on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, two athletes competed in their events and it was a monumental day as the Eagles crowned their first Women's Track and Field All-American since 2018.
Emily Ashton (Camas, Wash./St. Mary's Academy) (Camas, Wash./St. Mary's Academy) has caught fire in the Javelin Throw in the last few weeks of the season and she completed her sensational 2023 season at the National Championships on Thursday. After winning the Javelin Throw at the UMAC Championships last weekend, Ashton finished second in the country in the event this weekend. She threw a distance of 36.24m and the winner from Greenville University finished with a distance of 38.27m. Ashton's second place finish lands her the title of All-American for 2023. This is the first Women's Track and Field All-American for UNW since 2018 when Hannah Van Beusekom earned All-American in the Pole Vault. Ashton is the eighth All-American in program history.
Deanna Trucksess (Spirit Lake, Iowa/Spirit Lake) (Spirit Lake, Iowa/Spirit Lake) represented UNW at the National Championships with an impressive performance in the 200m dash. Trucksess finished with a time of 26.31 seconds which matches the second fastest time of her career in that event. The sophomore finished 15
th out of the 28 participants who are some of the best sprinters in the country. The National Championship winning time in the event was 24.25 seconds.
The Eagles will close out their 2023 outdoor season at Day Two of the NCCAA National Championships tomorrow in Columbia, South Carolina.
Day Two
When it comes to
Deanna Trucksess (Spirit Lake, Iowa/Spirit Lake) running the 400m, she always seems to save her best for last and turns in her best performance at the NCCAA National Championships. For the first time this season, and the second time in her career, she finished the 400m in less than a minute. On Friday she finished 7
th overall with a time of 59.88 seconds, her best of the season. The best time she has ever ran in that event came at the NCCAA National Championships last year when she finished in 59.45 seconds.
After watching her teammates perform on Day One,
Caroline Ringsmuth (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) finally got her chance to compete on Friday as her events took center stage. The freshman finished 3
rd in the 3000m Steeplechase at the UMAC Championships last weekend and finished 8
th overall in that event on Friday. Ringsmuth turned in an incredible performance at the National Championships as she ran by far the fastest time of her career in the 3000m Steeplechase. She finished with a time of 12:30.99 which was 23 seconds faster than her performance at the UMAC Championships just a week ago. Ringsmuth then finished 15
th overall in the 800m with a time of 2:40.62 which was just a second behind her personal best in that event.
The Eagles' 2023 Outdoor Track and Field season is now complete with man athletes setting new personal bests this season. The 2023 NCCAA National Championships were an excellent finish to the season for UNW.
