Earlier today, senior Natalie Calderon (Pasadena, CA) successfully defended her national title by winning the 2008 NCAA Long Jump Championship with a school record leap of 19’ 11”. She bettered her previous mark by five inches, finishing just one inch off of the stadium record at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. In addition, Calderon now owns the best jump in Division III for the 2008 season.

On Saturday, Calderon strives to improve upon last year’s fourth-place finish in the Triple Jump. Currently, her qualifying mark of 39’ 6 ½” ties an opponent from SUNY Brockport for the best leap in Division III.

Sophomore Richard Valenti (Palm Desert, CA) also competed today, earning a distance of 157’ 0” in the Discus Throw. Although he missed the qualifying mark for the finals, he gained significant experience in his first trip to the NCAA Championships.

Graduate student Fritz Nugent (Tinley Park, IL) looks forward to competing in the Long Jump later today. He earned his spot at nationals with a leap of 23’ 6 ¼”.