Women's Accepted Entries
Men's Accepted Entries

HOUSTON, Texas – Four members of the Slippery Rock University indoor track and field teams have been accepted into the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championships. The official accepted entries for the March 13-14 championships were released Tuesday.

The Rock women will be represented by Whitney Hendershot, Jenn Harpp and Lacey Cochran, while Jeff Weiss will represent the men’s team.

Hendershot was a lock for a spot in the field after leading the nation this season in the high jump with a clearance of 1.76 meters (5-09.25). She leaped that same height during the pentathlon at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships last weekend, propelling her to the title in the event. Her win in the pentathlon, combined with a second-place finish in the high jump, earned her Outstanding Field Athlete of the Meet honors.

Harpp was also a lock to make the field, after posting the second-fastest 5,000-meter time in the country this season. Her converted mark of 16:41.91 shattered the Slippery Rock record. Harpp also broke the SRU record in the 3,000-meter run this season and was a member of the record-setting 4x800m and distance medley relay teams.

Cochran saved her best effort for the PSAC Championships, posting a school record time of 57.38 seconds in the 400-meter dash. That mark earns her the 13th-seed in the National Championships. She also anchored the SRU record-setting 4x400-meter relay team to a PSAC Championship, a thrilling win that secured The Rock its third straight team title.

Weiss will be the lone representative from the men’s team and will compete in the mile, where he shattered the oldest school record in Slippery Rock track and field history earlier this season. His mark of 4:10.53 ranks him eighth on the accepted entries list. Weiss was the lone individual champion for The Rock men at the PSAC Championships, claiming the 3,000-meter title in convincing fashion.

The Rock track and field teams are currently in Florida, where they will compete in the University of North Florida Spring Break Invitational Friday and Saturday.

The 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships will take place at the University of Houston. Competition is scheduled to begin in the morning March 13 and conclude March 14.