Jackets Bingley and George Primed to Qualify for Nationals

HILLSDALE, Mich. – It was a big day for the Defiance College women's track and field team, as third-year athletes Kim Bingley and Kali George performed well enough at the Hillsdale Classic to jump into the heptathlon event qualifying ranks for the National Collegiate Athletic Association Div. III Track and Field Championships.

Each competitor really excelled in day two of the classic, turning in top marks for the Purple and Gold record books. Setting the new school record in the 800-meter run was George with a fourth-place time of 2:24.21, beating the old mark by a mere .09 seconds. The East Palestine High product also added a third-place finish in the javelin (31.99 meters), while grabbing fourth in the long jump (5.19 meters). Her long jump distance was good for fourth on the all-time list as well.

Bingley's top outing came in the javelin. The Ottawa, Ohio, native hurled a top distance of 37.93 meters and gave her the second-best mark in DC history. The junior then was solid in the 800 as well, finishing right behind George with a fifth-place time of 2:24.98 that sits third on the all-time list. To wrap up her day, Bingley cleared a height of 4.94 m in the long jump to place tied for seventh.

With all seven events completed, Bingley finished fourth at the competition with 4,485 points and George racked up 4,450 for fifth. There point totals currently have them sitting 13th and 16^th, respectively on the NCAA Division III qualifying list for the heptathlon. The top-22 make the National Championships.

The Purple and Gold men's and women's track and field squads will both have select individuals competing tomorrow, Friday, May 10 at the Grand Valley State Second to Last Chance Meet. Action is slated to kick-off at 1 p.m.