Gill, DeIngenis Advance To Respective 1,500 Meter National Finals At 2006 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track Championships

May 25, 2006

Two Stonehill outdoor track standouts will compete for their respective national 1,500 meter crowns after advancing to the finals at the 2006 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships hosted on the Zola Witten Track at Emporia State University.

Sophomore Keith Gill (Brockton, Mass.) finished fourth in his preliminary heat on the men's side in a time of 3:57.06 to qualify for Saturday evening's national championship race that will take place at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time (6:00 p.m. local time). Gill, seeded 10th in the event nationally heading into Thursday's preliminaries, will be one of 12 individuals competing for the 1,500 meter crown.

Junior Dana DeIngenis (Cranston, R.I.) will run for the women's 1,500 meter national title on Saturday evening as well for Stonehill, as she finished sixth in her preliminary heat with a time of 4:47.64 but qualified as one of the top 12 runners in the event on the day. DeIngenis, who entered the national championships seeded 14th in the event, will compete for the title at 6:50 p.m. Eastern time (5:50 p.m. local time).

"This is an exciting day for Stonehill track," Skyhawk Head Coach Karen Boen said following the preliminary races. "To have two runners in the national finals of their event really shows the dedication that both Keith and Dana have, and I couldn't be happier for both of them. To have an opportunity to compete for a national championship is something they have both worked hard for and very much earned."

Gill and DeIngenis are bidding to become the first All-America performers in Stonehill track history, as the top eight finishers in the event earn the accolade. By advancing to the national 1,500 meter championships, it marks the first time that both a Skyhawk men's and women's runner will compete for the national crown in a track event in the same year in school history.