WILMINGTON, N.C. -- Freshman Jayd Eggert won't soon forget her outdoor debut at the collegiate level.
The freshman from Minot, N.D., won the javelin at the UNC-Wilmington Seahawk Invitational today with a throw of 41.78 meters (137 feet, 1 inch). More significantly, that throw was also an automatic qualifying mark for the USA Track and Field Junior National Championship, scheduled for this summer.
Eggert is the first athlete in UND track history to qualify for the USATF Junior Championship.
Eggert was one of several throwers who stood out today at the outdoor season opener.
Freshman Ke-Ke Burks (Madison, Wis.) won the hammer throw with a mark of 47.62 meters (156 feet, 3 inches).
Eggert took fifth in the hammer, while a third freshman thrower, Molly Griep (Whitewater, Wis.), took eighth.
Samantha Guenther (So., White Bear Lake, Minn.), Alyssa Lueck (Fr., Walworth, Wis.), and Chantel Urban (So., Surrey, N.D.) also competed, finishing 9-10-11, respectively.
Megan Gray (Sr., St. Cloud, Minn.) joined Burks in the top five in the javelin, placing fifth at 32.73 meters (107-04).
UND finished the first day of competition in second place with 29 points in the 4-team standings, trailing only host UNC-Wilmington, which had 96 points.
The meet concludes on Saturday.
