Christine Kustra Earns Automatic Bid Into NCAA Outdoor Track Championship

Junior places second in heptathlon with automatic-qualifying 4,665 points at Chicago Penultimate Invitational

May 10, 2009

Chicago, Ill. - Despite a second-place finish in the heptathlon, Lewis University junior Christine Kustra (Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove) earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships with 4,665 points at the Chicago Penultimate Invitational, hosted by the University of Chicago, on Saturday afternoon.

Junior Ashley Butler (Pontiac, Ill./Pontiac) captured the 100-meter dash title with time of 12.35, followed by a runner-up finish of 12.7 by teammate Michelle Ruff (Palatine, Ill./Fremd).

Sophomore Kathryn Hague (Chicago, Ill./Mt. Assisi) missed a NCAA provisional qualifying time in the 1,500-meter run by seven-hundredths of a second, but still won the event with a time of 4:39.07.

Sophomore Samantha Linck (Kohler, Wis./Kohler) placed second overall in the high jump with a leap of 4'11 ¾".

On the men's side, junior James Knaperek (Hometown, Ill./St. Laurence) captured the 110-meter hurdles title with a time of 15.21, while teammate Adam Zaremba (Elmhurst, Ill./York) finished third in the event with a time of 15.51.

Zaremba also captured the 400-meter hurdles title with a winning mark of 56.14.

Junior Scott Barnas (Oak Lawn, Ill./St. Laurence) took home the shot put title with a NCAA Provisional heave of 52'7 ½".

Senior Chance Eiker (Farmington, Ill./Farmington) and sophomore Matt Schultz (Burbank, Ill./St. Laurence) tied for second overall in the pole vault with a mark of 14'6 ¾".

The Flyers will now await word on who will receive berths, along with Kustra, in the upcoming NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in San Angelo, Texas from May 21-23rd.

A Catholic University sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis offers nearly 80 undergraduate majors and programs of study, accelerated degree completion options for working adults, various aviation programs and 22 graduate programs in nine fields. The mid-sized university is being honored for the fifth consecutive year by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. For more information please visit www.lewisu.edu.

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