Last chance to qualify
Bethel track and field athletes compete at the annual “last chance” track meet with hopes of qualifying for indoor nationals.
By Annessa Ihde | Freelance Writer
Kelsie Sealock slaps her legs and leapfrog jumps into the air.
On your marks…
She bends at the waist and pedals her legs back into the blocks. The blond bun at the top of her head points down towards the red track.
Runners set…
Hips rise, shoulders dip forward. Four athletes staggered in separate lanes balance on their fingertips, ready to spring.
BANG!
Sixteen athletes from Bethel University’s track and field teams traveled three hours to Waverly, Iowa Saturday morning. The group of runners, jumpers, throwers and pole vaulters competed at the NCAA Qualifier Meet, hosted annually by Wartburg College and known as the “last chance” meet. Six days before NCAA DIII Indoor Nationals, the meet is the last chance for athletes to qualify for the biggest meet of the season.
The women’s 4x400 relay team had to run at least a second faster than their previous time in order to secure its spot on a plane to Birmingham, Alabama, where indoor nationals will be held.
“Coach said that I needed to get out aggressive and if I didn’t get the cut to stay close then pass in the last 60.” — Kelsie Sealock, senior captain
The second heat of the 4x400 event exploded from its blocks at 5 p.m. The team, comprised of Sealock, Mikayla Turek, Hailey Gregg and Sarah Stellmach, finished with a time of 3:53.45 and secured a spot at nationals.
“Coach said that I needed to get out aggressive and if I didn’t get the cut to stay close then pass in the last 60,” Sealock said.
Sealock was in second place coming around the 200 meter mark, but handed the baton off in first with a narrow lead of just a couple strides, which Turek maintained. Women from the University of Chicago and Wisconsin-Stevens Point teams were right on her heels when she passed the baton to Gregg. Stellmach got the baton in third place, but her anchor leg of 56.4 seconds brought Bethel back to first. The Bethel women’s 4x400 team placed fourth overall in the meet.
A short walk through the track in-field reveals the range of emotion at this high-stakes meet. A tackle hug piles up at the finish line as teammates of Wartburg’s men’s 4x400 team celebrate a qualifying performance. A 60 meter hurdles athlete covers her face with a neon spike bag and cries not-so-softly after checking her time.
Bethel teammates started celebrating as soon as Stellmach crossed the finish line. When 3:53.45 flashed on the screen and Coach Andrew Rock gave a nod, relieved smiles and big hugs were passed around.
“When I heard we were top 10 in the nation, I was so thrilled. So crazy proud of my friends, and also relieved and exhausted,” Gregg said on the three-hour ride back to Bethel. “It’s still setting in.”
Due to their performances at Wartburg’s last chance meet, 11 athletes will represent Bethel at indoor nationals next week in Birmingham. Links to the livestream and live results are available on bethel.athletics.edu.
