Newton's Cummins To Compete in College Regional

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois had ten athletes qualify for the upcoming NCAA Outdoor Track & Field West Regional to be held next week in Austin, Texas.  Three additional athletes are currently ranked one spot away from earning a trip to the NCAA meet with medical disqualifications closing on Monday evening.

Jade Riebold is the highest ranking EIU athlete to earn a spot as she makes her second straight West Regional appearance in the women’s pole vault.  Riebold was the national runner-up in the indoor season and earned All-American honors last season at the outdoor championships.  She is ranked fourth in the West Region with a vault of 4.35m.

Mick Viken makes his third straight NCAA West Region appearance in the men’s pole vault after earning All-American honors last season at the outdoor championships.  Viken is ranked 23rd with a season best height of 5.31m.

Dominique Hall makes a third straight NCAA West Region appearance competing in the men’s 110m hurdles.  Hall is ranked 26th in the region with a season best time of 14.13.

Calvin Edwards and Pablo Ramirez will be making their first regional appearances for the Panthers this season in track events. Edwards qualified 28th in the 200m with a season best time of 21.20.  Ramirez is ranked 47th in the 10K with a season best time of 29:50.56.

Senior Tyler Carter rounds out the men’s regional qualifiers as he will compete in the long jump.  Carter’s season best mark is 7.41m.

On the women’s side Jalisa Paramore makes a second straight appearance in the 100m hurdles.  She is ranked 29th with a time of 13.57.

Maura Cummins, a Newton High School graduate, will be competing in her second straight NCAA Regional after the sophomore set the EIU record in the high jump this season.  Cummins is ranked 19th with a height of 1.77m.

On the track seniors Erika Ramos and Britney Whitehead will be closing out their careers with one final NCAA Regional appearance.  Ramos moved into 22nd in the 800m at last week’s Louisville Twilight with a time of 2:07.35.  Whitehead will compete in the steeplechase with a season best mark of 10:25.27.

The three athletes currently ranked 49th in the NCAA Region are David Johansson in the men’s javelin, Daniel Trevor in the men’s 400m hurdles and Abigail Schmitz in the women’s pole vault.

The top twelve athletes in each event at the NCAA Regional advance to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships June 5-8 in Eugene, Oregon.