KINGSTON, RI- A pair of provisional qualification standards for the NCAA Championship by female athletes highlighted the Wheaton College men's and women's track & field teams' competition over the weekend at the University of Rhode Island's Sorlien Invitational. The meet, which was held in Mackal Field House, involved mostly Division I squads.

The non-scoring women's portion of the invitational occurred on Friday before the men's events took place Saturday, when the Lyons took 13th out of 13 squads with six points. The University of Connecticut won with 169 points.

After earning an automatic qualification for the NCAA Championship in the triple jump during her first collegiate meet last weekend, freshman Mickey Jusme (Providence, RI/Classical) surpassed a provisional standard in the long jump on Friday. Her distance of 18′ 5″ was good for first in the 19-athlete event, and just 3 1/2″ shy of an automatic qualifying mark, as she topped a field that included eight Division I competitors. Jusme also took second in the 55-meter dash in 7.36, just 0.06 seconds short of provisional status.

Freshman Lauren McGrath (Wading River, NY/Shoreham-Wading River) recorded a provisional qualifying height during the high jump, as her showing of 5′ 5 3/4″ was good for second in the event and tied for the top leap during the competition. Sophomore Erin Neville (North Providence, RI/La Salle Academy) tied for fifth.

Freshman Ashley Dell'Aira (Shoreham, NY/Shoreham-Wading River) took third in the triple jump at 36′ 7″, falling just 1 1/4″ short of an NCAA mark, and also placed fourth during the long jump. Classmate Tope Waheed (East Providence, RI/East Providence) tossed the weight 48′ 8 3/4″, which left her fifth in the event.

On the track, McGrath and Didine Jusme (Providence, RI/Classical) each qualified for the eight-runner 55-meter hurdles final, while Didine Jusme and sophomore Laurenmaria Smith (Providence, RI/Hope) both ran in the 55M final. Senior Christine Moreau (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) and freshman Lauren Cardarelli (Cranston, RI/La Salle Academy) both finished among the top 10 in the 500M, while senior Amanda Rawson (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) and freshman Kimberly Nash (Tempe, AZ/McClintock) notched top-10 finishes in the 800M.

For the men, freshman Kyle Ricci (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken) had the top individual showing with a sixth-place finish in the 500-meter run, and he joined seniors Brian Dundon (Mansfield, MA/Mansfield) and Michael Wright (Baldwin, NY/Uniondale) and freshman Cailean Robinson (Newton, MA/Phillips Exeter Academy) on the eighth-place 4×400M relay quartet.

Freshman Marcus Dennis (Hyde Park, MA/Thayer Academy) took ninth in the triple jump, while Robinson and junior Mark Cimino (Danbury, CT/Danbury) were within 0.01 and 0.03 seconds, respectively, of qualifying for the 55-meter dash final.

Wheaton's squads return to action next weekend at Boston University's two-day Terrier Classic, which begins on Friday.