The finish line is in sight for the Hamline track and field teams. The fields for the NCAA Division III meet in Canton, NY (May 21-23)will be announced Sunday, May 18. The top 20 male and top 22 female competitors in each event will head to St. Lawrence University to match up against some of the best Division III athletes in the country.

To that end, Hamline head men's track coaches Paul Schamedeke and women's boss Shawn Johnson-Hipp will send contingents in meets at North Central College (Ill.) and UW-La Crosse  Friday in an attempt to get on the road to Canton.

A pair of senior long-distance runners -- Chris Gill and Ryan Peterson -- went to North Central. Gill got things going Thursday when he finished 23rd in the 5,000 Meters in a time of 15:37.58.  Peterson ran a 9:27.09 in the Steeplechase at last week's MIAC Championships. He goes again today, taking dead aim on the current holder of 20th place, who registered a 9:15.50 timing.

 A much larger group will decamp for La Crosse. They will include some folks who, if the meet were held today, would be in the field. Carolyn Saulsberry is well inside the cut in the Triple Jump with a 13th place standing after her school record 38-9.50 leap last weekend that won the MIAC title.  It's much tighter for the junior in the 100 Hurdles. She is tied for the last available spot with a 14.59 time. There is a runner just .2 behind her and another one just .3 back. So any improvement on her time would be a welcome relief. Jessica Putland is a solid 14th in the Shot Put with a 44-11.50 throw achieved last month at the Drake Alternative Meet. She sits 41st in the Hammer at 161-9 and would need to get to 167-5 to get 22nd place. Erin Urbanowicz is currently in the field with a 21st place standing in the Hammer (167-7). Three are three competitors within four inches of her. Jerri Koltveit ranks 49th in the Discus at 135-6. The current cutoff mark is 141-9.

On the men's side, Anthony Tyler is the only one who would appear to be definitely bound for Canton. His 167-0 Discus throw that took first place at last week's MIAC Championships is the 12th best throw in the land this spring. Joey Grussing would like to join him there. The senior's best throw so far is 155-7. The current cutoff mark is 161-4. Chase Duwenhoegger ranks 40th in the Shot Put at 51-7. He needs to get at least to 53-5 this weekend. Tom Larson, who sprinted to victory in two races and was on a winning relay team in a third last week, is 28th in the 100 at 10.73 seconds. The current line of demarcation is 10.67.  Tom's best time is 21.97 seconds in the 200. The last qualifier right now ran 21.59. Mark Volker did a 15-3 in the Pole Vault in late April. The bar will have to be at 15-9.25 or better for the senior to advance this weekend. 

The competition at this level is very tough, indeed. 

You can follow the live stats for each event today by clicking here.