Meet Schedule | CSU-Pueblo's Championship Central | Championship Program

It has gone somewhat under the radar that this weekend's NCAA Division II Track & Field Championship will mark the final time UMass Lowell will compete as a Division II institution.

But head coach Gary Gardner and UMass Lowell's seven individuals and two relay teams who qualified for the NCAAs aren't thinking about the end of an era. There are trophies to be won and All-American honors to be had.

“The kids are focused and confident,” said Gardner. “We understand that this is the last time we will represent UMass Lowell as a Division II institution, but it hasn't impacted our approach to this weekend in the least. We've put together some fantastic results this season. These kids know they belong here, and we think we're going to do very well.”

The NCAA Championship runs from Thursday to Saturday at Colorado State University-Pueblo's Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.

The University announced on Feb. 14 it would transition to NCAA Division I and the America East Conference effective July 1. With the transition to Division I comes a four-year waiting period before an institution is eligible to compete in NCAA Tournaments (the field hockey program will be eligible in two years).

For a program that is used to competing in the NCAAs in the cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field seasons, it will be an adjustment.

It's not to say, however, that the UMass Lowell track and field teams will not compete in the postseason. The River Hawks can participate in the America East Championship, the New England Championship as well as the IC4A Championship immediately.

“The NCAA Championship in Division I is a new level toward which we will have to build, and we'll have four years to do that,” Gardner added. “We're very excited about it. We've been competing among Division I colleges for a long time, so we feel we're in a very good position to make the move.”

UMass Lowell is fielding one of its largest and most experienced contingents for the NCAA Championship. All but one has competed at the NCAAs prior to this weekend.

Junior Elisabeth Monty (Charlton, Mass.), who qualified in the 100 and 400 meter hurdles and the 4X400 meter relay, leads four River Hawks who will compete in multiple events. She is the fourth seed in the 400 hurdles with a school-record time of 58.22 seconds, achieved when she won the New England championship on May 9.

Senior Antoinette Toussaint (Somerville, Mass.) will join Monty in the 400 hurdles as the sixth seed and a time of 59.51 seconds, which she ran at the New England Championship.

Monty will also run the 100 hurdles as the 12^th seed (13.69 seconds, also a school record), having booked her place for the NCAAs at the Mount San Antonio College Relays on Apr. 18. Additionally, Monty and Toussaint are members of UMass Lowell's 4X400 meter relay team, seeded 12^th with a school-record time of 3:43.76 set at the Penn Relays Apr. 25.

Joining them are senior Shannon Cunningham (Foxboro, Mass.) and sophomore Taelour Murphy (Salisbury, Mass.) as well as sophomore Shaniece Cola (Lowell, Mass.), who will serve as the alternate.

Murphy has also enjoyed a banner season in the sprints and individually solidified the 17^th seed in the 200 meter dash with a time of 24.10, a school record, run at the Princeton Invitational on Apr. 17.

Junior Candace Greene (Annapolis, Md.) enters the NCAA shot put championship for the fourth time in her career and is seeded seventh with a personal-best throw of 48 feet, 8.25 inches, achieved at Princeton.

Like Monty, senior Jeff Veiga (Lowell, Mass.) will endure a busy weekend between running the 10,000 meters Thursday and the 5,000 meters 48 hours later. A two-time cross country All-American, Veiga looks to earn the honor for the first time in track and field.

He claimed his place in the 10,000 meters at the Penn Relays where he shattered the previous school record of 29:25.54 set by former standout/Merrimack Valley running legend Dave Dunham. Veiga qualified a week prior in the 5,000 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays in 14:11.06, which stands as the 13^th seed.

Junior Omar Abdi (Charlestown, Mass.), making his first appearance at the NCAA Championship, is seeded sixth in the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:46.32, the second-fastest time in school history, which Abdi ran at the Mt. SAC Relays.

Junior David Brown (Chelmsford, Mass.) was a late addition in the 800 meters, arguably the most competitive event at the NCAAs. Seeded 21^st, Brown's time of 1:51.03 at the New Balance Boston Twilight Invitational May 11, is less than a second behind the seventh seed.

UMass Lowell's 4X400 meter relay team, traditionally a mainstay at the NCAAs, will look to repeat All-American honors from the indoor season, where they placed fifth in 3:13.70. The foursome enters the weekend as the 18^th seed with a time of 3:12.16.

Three members return from the indoor team in senior Craig Bennett (Milton, Mass.) and juniors Tim Regan (Sandwich, Mass.) and Casey O'Brien (Seekonk, Mass.). Junior Keith Lewis (Nashua, N.H.), a member of the 2012 outdoor All-America 4X400 team, will run the anchor leg.
 
 
UMass Lowell's 2013 NCAA Championship Schedule
 
All times Eastern
 
Thursday, May 23
7:25 p.m.        Men's 1,500 meters preliminary (Omar Abdi)
9:40 p.m.        Women's 400 meter hurdles preliminary (Elisabeth Monty, Antoinette
                          Toussaint)
10:50 p.m.      Men's 10,000 meters final (Jeff Veiga)
 
Friday, May 24
7:30 p.m.        Women's 200 meter dash preliminary (Taelour Murphy)
8:15 p.m.        Men's 800 meters preliminary (David Brown)
8:40 p.m.        Women's 100 meter hurdles preliminary (Elisabeth Monty)
9:50 p.m.        Women's 4X400 meter relay preliminary (Shannon Cunningham,
                          Taelour Murphy, Elisabeth Monty, Antoinette Toussaint)
10:10 p.m.      Men's 4X400 meter relay preliminary (Craig Bennett, Tim Regan,
                          Casey O'Brien, Keith Lewis)
 
Saturday, May 25
5:30 p.m.        Women's Shot Put final (Candace Greene)
7:45 p.m.        Men's 1,500 meters final (Abdi)
7:55 p.m.        Women's 100 meter hurdles final (Monty)
9:05 p.m.        Men's 800 meters final (Brown)
9:20 p.m.        Women's 400 meter hurdles final (Monty, Toussaint)
9:45 p.m.        Women's 200 meter dash final (Murphy)
10:30 p.m.      Men's 5,000 meters final (Jeff Veiga)
10:55 p.m.      Women's 4X400 meter relay final
11:05 p.m.      Men's 4X400 meter relay final