TWO FSU WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES HEADED TO NATIONALS

Jenny Irwin & Kamitra Carroll To Compete In 2006 NCAA-II Outdoor Championships

Ferris senior Jenny Irwin holds the nation's second-fastest times in two events entering the national meet

Senior Jenny Irwin (Scottville/Mason County Central) and sophomore Kamitra Carroll (Flint/Carman-Ainsworth) are among the final meet participants announced Tuesday (May 16) by the NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Committee.

A total of 620 student-athletes qualified for the meet by reaching the automatic or provisional standards established for each event. Emporia State University will serve as the championship host. The top eight finishers in each event will earn All-America recognition.

Irwin qualified for the national meet in both the 800 and 1,500 meters after winning both events at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships (May 4-5) held at FSU's Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich. She posesses the second-fastest (2:08.95) entry time of the 18 individuals scheduled to compete in the 800 meters while her seed mark in the 1,500 meters (4:24.13) is also the second-best of 17 competitors. The 1,500-meter run preliminary round will take place Thursday (May 25) at 4:20 p.m. (CDT) with the opening round of the 800 meters set for Friday (May 26) starting at 6 p.m. (CDT). Final round competition in both events will be Saturday (May 27) at 5:50 p.m. (CDT) and 6:52 p.m. (CDT) for the 1,500 meters and 800 meters, respectively.

The Bulldogs will be represented in the shot put by Carroll, who's seed mark (47-11.25) is fifth overall of 18 throwers. The women's shot put will be held Friday at 5:45 p.m. (CDT). Carroll received runner-up kudos in the shot put (45-11.75) at the conference outdoor championships.

During the 2005-06 indoor campaign, Irwin earned NCAA-II All-America laurels with a fourth-place overall finish (4:49.13) in the mile run at the NCAA-II Indoor Track and Field Championships held March 10-11 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston, Mass. She also claimed All-America kudos in the women's distance medley relay as the quartet of Irwin, senior Leanna Wolf (Fountain/Mason County Central), freshman Mikinzie Stuart (Saginaw/Nouvel) and sophomore Chandra Robinson (Warren/Mott) took eighth place (11:50.40) in the national meet. Carroll finished 11th in the shot put competition (45-2.50) during the indoor championships.

Last season (2004-05), Irwin picked up All-America laurels with a fourth-place finish in the 1,500 meters (4:30.60) at the 2005 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships (May 26-28) held at Abilene Christian University's Elmer Gray Stadium in Abilene, Texas. Carroll also competed in last year's national meet and took 11th place overall with a toss of 45-11.25 in the shot put.

This year will mark Irwin's third consecutive appearance in the NCAA-II Outdoor Championships following an 11th place overall showing in the 1,500 meters (4:40.73) as FSU's lone representative at the 2004 NCAA-II Outdoor Championships (May 27-29) held in Walnut, Calif. By earning All-America accolades last year, Irwin became the 11th student-athlete in FSU women's track and field history to earn outdoor All-America recognition.

The Bulldog women's outdoor track and field team finished sixth with 75 points at the GLIAC Outdoor Championships this season under 10th-year head coach Jeff Kavalunas.