NCAA Indoor Championship Schedule
HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's indoor track & field team is sending two individuals to compete at the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships for just the second time in program history. Both Nora Weathers (mile) and Kelley Riffenburgh (5,000 meters) have been announced as accepted entries for the NCAA Championship after each were among the top 17 declared individuals in their respective events.
Both runners have competed in the NCAA Cross Country Championships, but will be making their track debuts at the NCAA level this weekend. The 2015 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships will be hosted by Roanoke College and JDL Fast Track. The meet will run from March 13-14.
Weathers will be the first to run for the Fords with the women's one mile trials set for 1:45 p.m. on Friday. Weathers' event will be split into two sections that will be determined later this week. Ten runners from the trials (top three in each section, plus next four overall) will advance to the final on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
As a junior, Weathers is the third Haverford runner to compete in the indoor mile at the NCAA Championship with current teammate Katie Balmer '15 (ninth in 2013) and Annick Lamar '08 (fourth in 2008) sharing that distinction. Weathers is seeded fifth overall out of the declared runners with a time of 4:59.04 that she ran at the Centennial Conference Championships. That mark ranks her third in program history behind the two previous qualifiers for the event.
Riffenburgh will also make her NCAA Indoor Track Championship debut on Friday. Running in the 5,000 meters, the senior's event will be a finals only race. The women's 5,000 meter event is scheduled to go off at 5:25 p.m. on that night. She is seeded 14th overall among the 17 declared runners in the event.
Riffenburgh is third different individual to compete in the indoor 5,000 meters at the NCAA level, joining two-time qualifiers Rachel Mosher '99 (fourth in 1998, fifth in 1999) and Jen Marazano '94 (fourth in 1994, sixth in 1992).Riffenburgh just recently broke Marazano's school record with a Centennial Conference winning time of 17:24.61 at the conference meet.
The only other season in which Haverford sent two runners to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championship on the women's side came in the 1997 season when Meredith Unger '97 and Emily Dorean '97 both competed in the 1,500 meters. Both earned All-America honors with their third and sixth place finishes, respectively. All-America certificates will be awarded to the top eight finishers in each event.