Seven ODAC Athletes Set to Compete in Ohio

DELAWARE, Ohio --- On the eve of the 2011 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships, Bridgewater's Christina Rhodes (pictured with head coach Shane Stevens) earned an unexpected accolade for the second straight year.  She was honored with the NCAA's Elite 88 Award*, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at each of the NCAA's 88 championships.

Rhodes recognition came at the annual championship banquet on Wednesday, kicking off the season's final meet in Delaware, Ohio.  Ohio Wesleyan University will serve as hosts for the three day affair, welcoming seven ODAC student-athletes to the Columbus suburb.  Four women, including Rhodes, and three men are set to compete for championship and All-American honors beginning on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET.

Rhodes, a liberal studies major, will compete for the pole vault title at this year's Division III championship meet. A year ago, Rhodes received the Elite 88 Award and then went out and earned All-American honors in the pole vault when she finished sixth in the event at the 2010 championship meet.  She enters the 2011 competition with the 15th-best qualifying mark, having cleared 3.61 meters (11'10"; top NCAA qualifier at 4.10 meters).

Joining Rhodes in the women's competition will be Lynchburg College's LaCear Hubbard and Jessica Gibbs, as well as Roanoke College's Carmen Graves.  Hubbard will pit her talents against the nation's best in the long jump.  She sits 17th in the qualifying ranks with a season-long leap of 5.68 meters (18'7.75"; top NCAA qualifier at 6.25 meters).  Gibbs will try to become the second straight ODAC winner in the heptathlon (BC's Courtney Hartman won in 2010).  Her qualifying score of 4,476 points ranks eighth in the field, 366 points shy of the top spot.

Graves, the Co-Athlete of the Meet at the 2011 conference championships, is the ODAC's lone automatic qualifier in any event.  Her time of 2:10.33 is second amongst 22 competitors in the 800-meter run.  Keelie Finnel from Coe College owns the event's top time at 2:06.83.

On the men's side, Guilford College's Johnathan Smith holds two unique distinctions going into the championships.  He is the first Quaker to compete in the national meet and is the only multi-event competitor from the ODAC this season.  Smith is joined by Lynchburg's James Bell and Washington and Lee University's Dylan Mills in representing the ODAC in Ohio.

Smith will compete in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.  He sits 18th in the 100-meter ranks with a time of 10.75 seconds (top NCAA qualifier at 10.48 seconds).  His time of 21.70 seconds occupies the 14th position in the 200-meter event (top NCAA qualifier at 20.97 seconds).

Bell, who provisionally qualified in the pole vault but did not make the NCAA field, will compete in the 10-event decathlon.  Bell enters the grueling competition ranked sixth at 6,508 points, 626 markers off the top spot.

Mills, a two-time ODAC champion in the javelin, will fire the apparatus in Ohio.  He enters with the 15th-best qualifying mark at 61.04 meters (200'3"; top NCAA qualifier at 67.46 meters).

The 2011 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships are set for Thursday, May 26 thru Saturday, May 28 at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.  For more information including links to live video, go to the championship website by clicking HERE or click on any of the links posted below.

Heat Sheets - Men
Heat Sheets - Women
2011 Events Schedule (subject to change)

*The Elite 88, an award founded by the NCAA, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 88 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships.

Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above who have participated in their sport for at least two years with their school. They must be an active member of the team, traveling and a designated member of the squad size at the championship. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.