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Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

NCAA Division III Indoor Championships

Mar. 10, 2011-- With six entrants spread across six events the North Central College women's track & field squad looks to secure its fourth top ten finish over the last six years on Friday and Saturday at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships hosted by Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.

In total seven athletes will represent the sixth-ranked Cardinals in Ohio, scattered across six events including four athletes competing in multiple events. Leading the way is Sheila Walsh who is making her first appearance at indoor nationals after qualifying in the 400-meter dash while also qualifying as a member of the distance medley and 4x400-meter relays.

Walsh looks to have a busy two days in Columbus, qualifying in the 400-meter dash along with the distance medley and 4x400-meter relays. The senior, who is making her first appearance at the national meet, heads into Friday's preliminary heats with the third fastest 400-meter time after clocking a school record time of 56.64 to win the CCIW Indoor Championship on Feb. 25. Wartburg College's Nevada Morrison claims the top time in the event heading into nationals, having clocked a 55.83 for the two lap sprint.

Walsh is the 800-meter leg of the distance medley relay, joining Kala Bingham (1,200-meters), Lauren Brightmore (400-meters) and Amanda Laesch (1,600-meters). The DMR squad heads into Columbus with the fifth fastest time after clocking a 11:53.22 at the NCC Last Chance Qualifier on Mar. 4. Washington University in Saint Louis holds the nation's best time in Division III with an 11:48.98.

The 4x400-meter relay features a nearly identical line-up as the DMR as holdovers Bingham, Brightmore and Walsh join Krista Cota on the team. The 4x4 squad comes in with the third fastest time in the nation after clocking a 3:50.01 at the NCC Last Chance Qualifier. Their time shattered the previous school record in the event by almost five seconds, placing third overall in the race that featured top ranked Wartburg College, who heads into Columbus with a time of 3:49.03.

Carolyn Kalafut is the team's lone representative in the field events, returning to nationals in the pole vault after a one-year hiatus. The junior earned All-American honors in the event in 2009, finishing tied for seventh after clearing 12 feet. 2011 marks her third appearance at the indoor championships, also appearing at the meet as a freshman in 2008. Kalafut enters Friday's event with the 15th best vault in Division III this season, clearing 11' 11 3/4" at the NCC Last Chance Qualifier. Moravian College's Abigail Schaffer and Karin Fisher of Massachusetts Institute of Technology come to Saturday's competition tied for the nation's best vault, having both cleared 13" 6 1/4".

Kayla Murphy makes her first appearance at the national meet after transferring from Lewis University in the fall. The junior currently has the nation's 10th fastest time in the 55-meter dash after clocking a converted time of 7.19. Murphy achieved her time by running a 7.75 in the 60-meter dash at the Chicagoland Championships on Feb. 11, finishing second. Buffalo State College's Erica Johnson currently leads the nation having clocked a 7.07 to pace the field of 15.

On top of running as a member of the distance medley relay, Amanda Laesch makes her return to nationals in the 5,000-meters. Laesch comes in with the 13th fastest time after crushing the field at the CCIW Championships, clocking a 17:16.02 as the senior additionally won the mile and 3,000-meters at conference, earning CCIW Track Athlete of the Meet honors. This will be the senior's second appearance at the indoor championships after finishing ninth as a freshman in the 5,000-meters in 2007. Saint Lawrence University's Wendy Pavlus comes in as the top seeded runner in the event, having clocked a 16:57.71.

Projected team scores based on the current national list having the Cardinals finishing 13th with 15 points. Top-ranked University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is the projected national champion with 50 points followed by two-time defending national champion Wartburg College (Iowa) with 47 points.

After finishing 40th in 2010 at the Indoor Championships in Greencastle, Ind. the Cardinals will be looking to secure their eighth top 10 finish in program history in 2011. North Central opens up Nationals on Friday at 6:35 p.m. (Eastern Time) with the preliminaries of the 400-meter dash.