JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Krista Chauvin made history for Gardner-Webb Saturday, becoming the first female student-athlete to qualify for NCAA Division I Track & Field nationals with her 10th-place finish at the 2015 NCAA East Preliminary Championships.
Chauvin (Seekonk, Mass. / UMass-Dartmouth) qualified for the 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with her effort on Saturday. The meet will be held June 10-13 in Eugene, Oregon, at historic Hayward Field. Chauvin is the first member of the women's Track & Field team to qualify for nationals at the Division I level and the first overall since 2000 – when GWU finished fifth as a team at the Division II Outdoor Championships in Raleigh, N.C.
She is only the third Gardner-Webb performer to ever qualify for NCAA national competition, joining thrower Alex Young (indoors and outdoors, 2014) and pole vaulter Elliott Haynie (indoor, 2008) on that elite list in school history.
On Saturday, Chauvin's second attempt of the day was her best mark, with the hammer flying 57.95 meters (190'0") in the second heat. It was the best throw of the day at that point in the competition, and remained the top throw in the second heat. It was the fifth-best distance for Chauvin this outdoor season – her first with the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Chauvin is experienced in national-level competition, having qualified for NCAA Division III nationals in 2013 as a student-athlete at UMass-Dartmouth. She went on to finish fifth that season, earning NCAA Division III All-America honors.
She earned All-Big South honors earlier this month, taking third in the women's hammer throw at the 2015 Outdoor Track & Field Championships at High Point's Vert Stadium. Chauvin broke the school record in the discipline for the fourth time on the final day of action, posting a mark of 59.23 meters.
A two-sport standout at Gardner-Webb, Chauvin starred between the posts for the women's soccer team this past fall. The graduate transfer earned second-team All-Big South Conference honors in that sport as well after ranking second in the league with 67 saves, third in saves per game (6.70) and third in shutouts (4).
2015 NCAA East Preliminary Championships
Women's Hammer Throw Final Results (Top 12 Advance To NCAA Nationals)
1. Brooke Pleger, Sr., Bowling Green (67.73m)
2. Julia Ratcliffe, Jr., Princeton (66.46m)
3. Mathaline Cooper, So., Winthrop (61.09m)
4. Precious Ogunleye, Jr., Miami (60.77m)
5. Jocelyn Williams, Sr., Liberty (60.47m)
6. Jackie Leppelmeier, Jr., Kent State (59.79m)
7. Cynthia Watt, Jr., Michigan State (59.52m)
8. Alexis Cooks, Sr., Akron (58.56m)
9. Nia Barnes, Sr., Alabama (58.18m)
10. Krista Chauvin, Sr., Gardner-Webb (57.95m)
11. Jermisha Frazier, Jr., Southeast Louisiana (57.92m)
12. Danielle McConnell, Fr., Alabama (57.92m)
