SIOUX FALLS – Five University of Sioux Falls Track & Field student-athletes will compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on May 23-25 at Javelina Stadium in Kingsville, Texas. Texas A&M Kingsville will serve as host of the championships which will include 754 participants, including both 377 men and 377 women student-athletes.

Fans and supporters can follow the USF Track and Field Team at nationals by clicking here for live video or at live results.  For information about the NCAA DII Championships and more, click here.

The USF student-athletes who will compete at the DII Championships include sophomore Emma Hertz and junior Miranda Phipps of the USF Women's team with Zach Lundberg, Mason Phillips and Tristan Zawadzki representing the USF Men's team.  ?This is the third consecutive NCAA Championship meet for which the Cougars have qualified multiple men and women under the guidance of second-year USF Director of Track & Field Doug Petersen.

Since joining the NCAA Division II ranks in 2012, Sioux Falls has qualified multiple women to all 13 previous NCAA Championship and will have five competing at these DII championships. The Cougars will be represented by multiple men for the fifth time in seven NCAA Outdoor Championship opportunities and the 13th time in 14 total NCAA Championship meets over the past six years. Three of the five (Hertz, Phipps, Lundberg) attending nationals have set school records in the events in which they will be competing.

Schedule of events - Athlete Profiles
USF Track & Field will have athletes competing on all three days of the meet with Mason Phillips and Zach Lundberg racing in prelims of the 1,500 meters on Thursday night. Here is a rundown on the USF student-athletes, their respective event and the time along with notes about the performers.
 
Emma Hertz – Shot put and Discus
Sophomore | Sioux Falls, S.D. (O'Gorman HS)
Friday, May 24, 1:30 p.m. (CST) – Women's Discus  
Saturday, May 25, 1:15 p.m. (CST) – Women's Shot Put
NCAA Championship Appearance: Third
NCAA All-American Finishes: One (second team, shot put, 9^th, 2019 indoors)
Highest NCAA Finish: 9^th, shot put, 2019 NCAA DII Indoor Championship
No. 9 seed - Discus: 51.57 meters (169-02, school record)
Personal Best: 51.57 meters (169-02, Southwest Minnesota State Mustang Twilight, May 1, 2019 )
No. 11 seed – Shot Put – 15.56 meters (51-0.75, school record)
Personal Best: 15.56 meters (51-0.75, University of South Dakota Twilight, April 23, 2019)

Season-Career Notes -- After breaking school records in the women's discus and shot put this spring, Hertz, who was a second team NCAA DII Indoor All-American (ninth place finish, 15.17 meters, 49-09.25), will look to earn All-American status in both events at DII nationals. She ranks ninth in DII in the discus with her school record of 51.57 meters (169-02). On May 1, 2019 at the SMSU Twilight in Marshall, Minn., she cracked the school record with a toss that was seven feet better than her previous mark. She ranks 11^th in the shot put with a school record throw of 15.56 meters (51-07.75) at the USD Twilight on April 23, 2019. In her career Hertz has 22 top-three finishes and 12 titles while finishing second nine more times in either the shot put or discus indoors and outdoors. In 2018-19, she has 15 top-two finishes and nine titles which included winning the shot put at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays where she was second in the discus. A year ago, Hertz was 17^th  in the discus at the DII Championships and finished second at the 2018 NSIC Outdoor Meet in the discus (155-05). Hertz, who was named the NSIC Field Athlete of the Week on May 6, was named USTFCCCA all-region this spring. Hertz received All-NSIC honors outdoors in 2018.

Miranda Phipps – Javelin
Junior | Anoka, Minn. (Anoka HS)
Saturday, May 25, 11:30 a.m. (CST) – Women's Javelin
NCAA Championship Appearance: First
No. 14 seed - Javelin: 46.51 meters (152-07, school record)
Personal Best: 46.51 meters (152-07, University of South Dakota Twilight, April 23, 2019 )
 
Season-Career Notes: Phipps is also a school record holder in the javelin and ranks 14^th in DII with a throw of 46.51 meters (152-07). Phipps, who was second at the 2019 NSIC Outdoor Women's Championship in the javelin, set the school record and DII qualifying mark at the USD Twilight on April 23. In her career, she has won four titles, set a school record and finished top-three in the javelin throw 12 times.  At the 2017 NSIC Outdoor Meet, she was third in the javelin throw and placed second in the javelin throw at the NSIC Outdoor Championship in 2018. She has earned three All-NSIC honors.

Tristan Zawadzki – Pole Vault
Redshirt Junior | San Diego, Calif. (Patrick Henry HS)
Thursday, May 23 2:30 p.m. (CST) – Pole Vault Finals
NCAA Championship Appearance: Second (1^st outdoors)
NCAA All-American Finishes: N/A
No. 9 seed – Pole Vault: 5.16 meters (16-11)
Personal Best: 5.16 meters (16-11, South Dakota Challenge, April 6, 2019)

Season-Career Notes: Zawadzki is ranked ninth nationally and first in the NSIC. Zawadski has a DII qualifying mark of 5.16 meters (16-11), which he set at the South Dakota Challenge on April 6. Zawadzki swept the NSIC Indoor and Outdoor pole vault titles.  In total he has 15 top three finishes and 11 individual pole vault titles.  Zawadzki was named USTFCCCA all-region this spring and also earned all-region honors during the indoor season in 2019. He was named the NSIC Outdoor Athlete of the Week on April 8. Zawadzki earned All-NSIC honors indoors and outdoors in the pole vault in 2019.

Zach Lundberg
Junior | Omaha, Neb. (Omaha North HS)
Thursday, May 23, 6:10 p.m. (CST) – Men's 1,500-meter run (Prelims)
- Top 4 finishers in each heat and next fastest 4 times advance to finals
Saturday, May 25, 5:45 p.m. (CST) – Men's 1,500-meter run (Finals) 
NCAA Championship Appearance: Fourth (second individual & outdoor appearance)
NCAA All-American Finishes: Four (2019, indoor first team; 2018 indoor first team; 2017 indoor, second team, Distance Medley Relay; 2018 outdoor, second team, 1,500 meters, 10^th place)
No. 11 seed: 3:46.64 – Bryan Clay Invite, April 17
Personal Best: 3:46.64 (school record)

Season-Career Notes: Lundberg, who has earned four combined indoor and outdoor All-American honors, owns the school record and is ranked 11^th in the 1,500-meters. Lundberg, who finished second in the 1,500 meters at the 2019 NSIC Outdoor Championship, is joined by junior Mason Phillips in the event at nationals. Lundberg earned second team outdoor All-America (10^th place) in 2018 after breaking the then school record in the 1,500 meters (3:48.06) at the DII nationals in Charlotte, NC. In qualifying for outdoor nationals for the second straight year, he broke his own school record of 3:46.64 at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 17. In his career, Lundberg has had 35 top three finishes and 11 total titles with nine in the 2018-19 season. He was named NSIC Men's Newcomer of the Year in 2017 and All-NSIC second team honors cross country as a freshman. He is making a second individual appearance at the NCAA Championships and second appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Lundberg earned All-American honors in 2017, 2018 and 2019 at the NCAA Indoor Championships as part of USF's distance medley relay. He became USF's first NCAA Division II Outdoor Championship qualifier in the men's 1,500-meter run in 2018. Lundberg was named all-region in the 1,500 meters this spring. Lundberg, who has earned three All-NSIC honors indoors and outdoors this season, also was named all-region four events including the 3,000 meter run (8:19.45, NSIC Indoor Championships), distance medley relay, mile run (4:07.76, SDSU Indoor Classic) and 5,000 meter run (14:18.98).

Mason Phillips
Junior | Bailey, Colo. (Platte Canyon HS)
Thursday, May 23, 6:10 p.m. (CST) – Men's 1,500-meter run (Prelims)
- Top 4 finishers in each heat and next fastest 4 times advance to finals
Saturday, May 25, 5:45 p.m. (CST) – Men's 1,500-meter run (Finals) 
NCAA Championship Appearance: 4th (1st individual & outdoor appearance)
NCAA All-American Finishes:  Five (2019, indoor first team; 2018 indoor first team; 2017 indoor, second team, all in the Distance Medley Relay;  2017, cross country, 15^th overall; 2018, cross country, 7^th overall).
No. 15 seed: 3:47.64 – Bryan Clay Invite, April 17
Personal Best: 3:47.64 – Bryan Clay Invite, April 17

Season-Career Notes: Phillips, who captured the 800 meter title at the NSIC Championship, qualified for DII nationals in the 1,500 meters with a clocking of 3:47.98 at the Drake Relays on April 24. Phillips, who has earned five combined All-American honors in cross country and track and field, has a combined nine NSIC Weekly Athlete of the Week honors in track and field and cross country.  In his career at USF, he has 28 cross country or track and field titles (relay or individual), including nine in 2018-19, and 21 second place finishes with eight in 2018-19. As such, he has placed first or second 49 times at USF. Last spring (2017-18 year), he was named USF's Male Athlete of the Year. He was the NSIC Indoor Athlete of the Year in 2018 when he set five indoor track records at USF (800, 1,000, mile, 3K, and DMR) and won the mile and 3K at the NSIC Indoor Championships. He is a two-time NSIC Preseason Indoor Athlete of the Year. In 2018, he earned All-American honors as a member of the Distance Medley Relay. In the fall, he earned All-American honors in cross country for a second time with a program-best seventh place finish as USF finished fifth. Phillips was named NSIC Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 2017 when he was the league's individual title and later was the Central Region Athlete of the Year by winning that individual title before placing 15^th at nationals.

Of note, Phillips and Lundberg were part of USF's first-team All-American and record-setting Distance Medley Relay (9:48.74) at the 2019 NCAA DII Indoor Nationals. They were also key performers for USF's cross country team that won its first-ever NSIC crown in the fall of 2018 and finished a program-best fifth at the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships.