By: By Hunter McKay
Women's Championship Qualifiers
Kennesaw, Ga. -
Jordan Gray and
Jocselyn Powell have punched their tickets to represent Kennesaw State at the finals of the 2017 NCAA Track and Field Championships at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon June 7-10.
Gray will compete for the Owls in the finals of the heptathlon on June 9-10. To qualify for the finals in the heptathlon at the NCAA Track and Field Championships, athletes must have a heptathlon score that ranks in the top 24 nationally at the end of the season. Gray qualified for the finals after winning the heptathlon at the ASUN Championships scoring an ASUN Outdoor Championship meet and KSU school record 5641 points. Her point total was 14th-best in the NCAA this season. The sophomore won all seven events in the heptathlon at the ASUN Championships. She set the heptathlon school, and ASUN Outdoor Championships heptathlon records in the shot put 12.94m (42'2.5) and javelin throw 39.02m (128'0).The Ball Ground, Georgia native set a school heptathlon record in the long jump with a leap of 6.11m (20'0.5). She has competed in three heptathlons this season and has won two and finished second in the other. Gray is the first Owl to ever qualify for the finals of the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon.
Powell will compete in the 400m hurdles semifinals on Thursday, June 8th. Powell qualified for the NCAA Championships opening rounds after running a time of 58.14 seconds at Florida Relays. On May 25, Powell ran a time of 59.44 seconds in the opening round of the NCAA Championships in Lexington, Kentucky to move on to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, the junior broke the school record posting a time of 58.10 seconds good for an 11th place to advance to the semifinals. She is the first KSU woman to ever to advance to semifinals of the 400m hurdles at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in program history.
Powell and Gray are the first two women to represent Kennesaw State at the finals of the NCAA Track and Field Championships since 2014 when the women's 4x100 relay team of Martina Cernochova, Alicia Whittle,
Hannah Wood and
Maileka Slayton did.
Keep up with Owls track and field teams by following KSU on Twitter at
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUTrackFieldXC or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on
Facebook.
- #GoKSUOwls -
