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CITY, N.D. (VCSUVikings.com)- Valley City State University sophomore Seri Geisler is the favorite to defend her national title this week as the Viking track & field team sends three competitors to the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala.
Geisler (shot put, javelin), Mackenzie Huber (shot put) and Megan Johnson (long jump) have all qualified to compete at the national meet, which runs May 25-27. Geisler enters the meet with the top javelin throw in the country, making her the favorite to repeat as the women’s javelin national champion.
Competition begins Thursday, May 25, at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium. Geisler will be the first Viking to compete with the women’s javelin scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Thursday. Johnson will compete in the women’s long jump at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The women’s shot put, which includes Huber and Geisler, is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday.
Geisler enters as the favorite to defend her national title in the women’s javelin. Geisler won the title with a school-record throw of 51.37 meters last season. She hasn’t topped that throw this year – coming in with a season-best mark of 51.16 meters – but still has the season’s top throw in the nation by 1.64 meters.
The javelin looks to be a two-person race. Geisler’s mark of 51.16 meters leads the way and Bailey Dell from Northwest Christian is second with a mark of 49.52 meters. Everyone else in the 25-person field is below 46 meters. Dell placed third at nationals last season with a throw of 47.15 meters.
The women’s long jump feature a large field of 47 competitors. VCSU junior Megan Johnson is ranked 37th with her best jump of 5.57 meters, but less than a foot separates her from the Top 8. Johnson is just 4.33 inches out of the Top 20 and 11.4 inches out of the Top 8, meaning a good day could potentially bring her All American honors in the Top 8.
In the women’s shot put, 27 competitors are vying for a national title. Geisler is ranked 20th with her best throw of 13.39 meters, while VCSU sophomore Mackenzie Huber is ranked 26th with her top throw of 13.07 meters. Less than a meter separates Geisler and Huber from the Top 10 (13.94 meters).