PUEBLO, Colo.---The Biola track and field teams had three athletes qualify for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Pueblo, Colorado.

When head coach Sean Henning spoke about their goals for the upcoming championships he shared, "Most importantly, I want to see our athletes represent their faith well in how they compete. Great discipline in their actions on and off the track, deep passion in competition, and love for others while they compete. We want to represent Biola and our faith well, and will trust God and His sovereignty with the results!"

Lynette Ruiz, Maggie Williams and Stefan Jungmichel will be representing Biola at the NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Ruiz will be competing in the 10,000m run. Ruiz's personal best time of 34:27.55 is 10th-best in the nation and the best time in the PacWest Conference. Ruiz achieved her impressive time at the invite-only Stanford Invitational. 

Henning commented, "Lynette has had a solid year and goes into next week ranked 10th-best in the country. I'm excited to see what she can do next week in a stacked field of 20 ladies. She is aerobically very fit, and I think she's going to run very well. The 10K is the perfect event for Lynette and I'm very happy that the Lord blessed her with this opportunity."

Williams will be racing in the 800m run. The Freshman recorded a personal best time of 2:09.82 at the PacWest Track & Field Championships which is 27th-best in the nation and fourth-best in the conference.

"Maggie was on the bubble going into this meet," stated Henning. "She ended up qualifying and I guarantee you she won't let this opportunity slip by. I'm proud of her for continuing to grind this season despite not having the breakthrough she was hoping for. She was, however, very consistent, and usually when that happens you have a breakout race eventually." 

Jungmichel is Biola's last athlete attending the NCAA Outdoor Championships and BU's only male representative. Jungmichel has the eighth-most points in the nation and the second-most points in the PacWest (7109). The Junior transfer recorded personal bests in nine of the decathlon's 10 events at the APU Last Chance meet including the 100m dash (11.34), long jump (6.81m), shot put (13.56m), high jump (1.83m), 400m dash (51.12), discus (39.93m), pole vault (4.30m), javelin (50.65m), and 1,500m run (4:41.91). 

Jungmichel placed first of 12 athletes at the APU Last Chance meet, recording top three finishes in the shot put, long jump, 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault and javelin. 

"Stefan spent a few weeks in April injured and wasn't able to run," shared Henning. "He showed great maturity and was very patient, swimming and biking every day. It paid off, he's ranked 8th in the country after a personal best in the decathlon last weekend. He is recovering well, and he will be brimming with confidence in what he's capable of going into next weekend."

The championships are scheduled for May 25-17 at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl.