INDANAPOLIS, Ind. – Five members of the Northwest Missouri State University track and field teams have qualified for the 2017 NCAA Division II National Championships. The championship meet will begin on Thursday, May 25, at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The Bearcats will be represented by Jordan Hammond in the 400 hurdles, Ryan Cox in the 1,500 and Audrey Wichmann in the high jump. Shelley Laures and Nicole Hopkins will each compete in the women’s javelin competition.

Hammond finished the season with a time of 59.76, ranking 10th nationally in the hurdles. Hopkins’s throw of 148-9 was the 10th best throw in the nation this year while Laures’ mark of 145-1 ranked 18th. In the men’s 1,500, Cox ran 3:46.51 last week in Illinois to rank 14th. His MIAA-winning time of 3:44.94 would have been the fourth-fastest time in the nation but was not eligible due to the race being hand timed. Wichmann was tied for the 19th best mark in the high jump at 5-7.75.

Live statistics as well as a live video stream for portions of the meet will be made available on NCAA.com.

— Northwest Athletics —