Ezeigwe qualifies for 200-meter dash final, helps relay team advance during first day of NCAA Division III Track and Field Championship

May 24, 2007

OSHKOSH, WI- Wheaton College sophomore Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) advanced to the 200-meter dash finals and helped the Lyons' 4x400-meter relay quartet qualify for the finals based on trials performances on Thursday at day one of the three-day NCAA Division III Track and Field Championship in the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh's Titan Stadium.

Ezeigwe finished third in her 200-meter dash heat and sixth overall out of 22 athletes with a time of 24.51, her fastest as a collegian, to qualify for Saturday's finals, which begin at 3:45 p.m. Nine competitors advanced to the championship round, and Ezeigwe will be one of only two underclassmen to run that heat. A three-time indoor All-American, Ezeigwe is pursuing her first outdoor All-America honor this week.

Ezeigwe was also the anchor on Wheaton's 4x400-meter relay team, joining sophomores Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) and Celeste Karpow (Wilton, CT/Wilton) and freshman Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver) as the quartet placed third in its heat and sixth overall out of 16 teams with a time of 3:52.37 during a driving rain storm, which dissipated for the final two heats. Despite that, the Lyons finished with a faster time than the top three squads in the second heat and are one of nine teams slated to compete in Saturday's finals at 4:55 p.m. in the final event of championship weekend. Jules and Thompson each earned All-America honors this past indoor season, while they join Karpow in seeking their first outdoor accolades.

Wheaton has athletes in two events tomorrow, as senior Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) competes in the high jump at 3:00 p.m. and freshman Howard Powell (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) takes part in the 110-meter hurdles trials at 4:40 p.m. Harlow, the two-time defending indoor high jump national champion, was the outdoor runner up in the event in both 2006 and 2004 but tied for the top height in the nation this spring at 5' 8". Between indoor and outdoor, Harlow seeks her sixth All-America accolade. Powell is in search of his initial All-America honor as one of two freshmen in the 17-athlete field.

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