BILLINGS, Mont.- The Battlin' Bear Track and Field team is headed to Asheville, North Carolina, next week for the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. Six individual athletes and one relay team have qualified to represent the green and gold on the national stage. 

Below are Rocky's qualifiers for this season's NAIA National Championships: 

Logan Hughes - Hammer Throw

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Logan Hughes, a junior from Billings, Montana, secured a 'B' Standard toss at the Frontier Conference Championships, tossing 54.94 meters (180-03), setting a new personal best and breaking the program record. Hughes qualified for the weight throw during indoor season, finishing 22nd overall at the NAIA Championships. His mark ranks 23rd in the NAIA this season. 

The men's hammer throw will kick off the field events next week, starting at 7:00 am (MT) on Wednesday, May 20th. 

Keenan Morris - Pole Vault

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Keenan Morris, a freshman from Billings, Montana, earns his second trip to the NAIA National Championships this season, as he enters next week as the top pole vaulter in the NAIA this season, clearing 5.20 meters (17-0.75) at the Frontier Conference Championships. Just one of two freshmen in the NAIA to qualify for the pole vault, Morris leads all other vaulters by four inches as he enters the field with aspirations for Rocky's first individual national championship in the pole vault. 

The pole vault competition will begin on Friday, May 22nd at 9:00 am (MT). 
 
Maya Pearcy - 800 Meters

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Maya Pearcy, a junior from Columbus, Wisconsin, earned an 'A' Standard, altitude-adjusted time of 2:08.10 at last week's Tom Gage Classic, breaking the program record held by former All-American and assistant coach Sydney Little Light. Pearcy finished runner-up at this year's Indoor Championships in the 800-meter and finished 13th in the prelims in the 800 at outdoors last season. Her time ranks fourth in the NAIA this season. 

The women's 800-meter prelims are scheduled for 12:30 p.m. (MT) on Thursday, May 21st, with the finals scheduled for Friday, May 22nd at 2:05 p.m. (MT). 

Raynor Ranum - Shotput

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Raynor Ranum, a freshman from Gillette, Wyoming, makes his second trip to the NAIA National Championships during his first collegiate season after qualifying in the shot put during indoors. Ranum broke the program record with a 'B' standard toss of 16.28 meters (53-05) at the Digger Spring Series II meet in April. His mark ranks 26th in the NAIA this season, as he looks to improve on his 23rd-place finish at this year's Indoor Championships.  

The men's shot put is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. (MT) on Thursday, May 21st.  

John Spinti - 10,000 Meters

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John Spinti, a sophomore from Great Falls, Montana, earned a 'B' Standard time in the 10,000 meters, running an altitude-adjusted time of 30:36.72 at the Trudnowski Open in April. The All-American in Cross Country finished 11th in the 5,000 meters at the NAIA Indoor Championships this season. 

The 10,000 meters will not feature a preliminary, as finals will be run on Wednesday, May 20th at 7:10 p.m. (MT). 

Brooke Wirkkala - High Jump

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Brooke Wirkkala, a senior from Castle Rock, Washington, makes her second career appearance at the NAIA National Championships after qualifying for indoors this season. The program record holder secured her qualifying mark early, clearing 1.73 meters (05-08) at the Yellowjacket/Battlin' Bear Open in March. Her mark is currently tied for the fourth-best in the NAIA this season. 

Women's high jump is scheduled to compete on Friday, May 22nd, starting at 12:00 p.m. (MT). 

Women's 4x800 Meter Relay

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The Battlin' Bear 4x800 meter relay team of Kallyn Wilkins, Jayden Woodland, Rylie Schoenfeld, and Maya Pearcy earned a 'B' Standard altitude-adjusted time of 9:21.34 at the Yellowjacket/Battlin' Bear Dual in April. Pearcy and Wilkins competed in the 4x800-meter relay at the Outdoor Championships a season ago, earning All-American honors with an eighth-place finish. This year's squad enters the outdoor championships with the 19th-ranked time. 

The women's 4x800 meter relay prelims will be run on Wednesday, May 20th at 4:15 p.m. (MT), with the finals scheduled for Thursday, May 21st at 4:10 p.m. (MT).