NOTRE DAME, Ind. --- In the season opener at the University of Notre Dame's Guglielmino Athletics Complex on Friday, the Bethel Pilots Women's Track and Field team saw 13 National Championship qualifying marks, including two NAIA 'A' marks in the Pole Vault by
Sophia Sumer, who won the event, and
Gabrielle Zeilenga, who took runner-up.
Sumer won the Pole Vault with an NAIA 'A' qualifying mark of 3.80 meters, and Zeilenga qualified for the NAIA National Championship with an 'A' mark of 3.70 meters but also qualified for the NCCAA National Championship in the Long Jump, where she finished seventh with a mark of 5.30 meters. Sumer and Zeilenga also qualified for the NCCAA National Championship with their respective finishes.
There were 11 other NCCAA National Qualifiers, including
Alecia Parker, who took fourth in the Shot Put with a 13.10-meter throw.
Sydney Rice also qualified with an 11.58-meter throw and took 10th in the event.
Ariel Manns qualified with a 1.60-meter throw and took 10th place to round out the NCCAA field event NCCAA National Qualifiers.
In the Track events,
Brianna Hooton finished fifth in the 200-meter with a 25.84 as an NCCAA National Qualifier and qualified in the 60-meter with a 7.97, finishing 13th.
Luisana Alonso qualified in the 60-meter, along with Hooton, with a 23rd place, 8.24 time.
Vladlena Klymova and
Alyssa Sloop qualified in the 60-meter-hurdles, with Klymova finishing 14th with a 9.89 and Sloop 17th with a 10.34.
In the 200-meter,
Sydney Rodgers qualified with Hooton after an 11th-place finish with a time of 27.02.
Anna Enderle qualified with a 10:55.43 in the 3,000-meter for the middle-distance team to round out the NCCAA National Qualifiers.
The Pilots continue the season on Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Bob Eubanks Open, hosted by NCAA Division II Grand Valley State at the Kelly Family Sports Center in Allendale, Mich.
For more information about Bethel Pilots Athletics, check out bupilots.com or on Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube by searching @bupilots or the hashtag #AnchorUp for updates on all 31 Bethel Pilots sports.
