SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State No. 6 men's and No. 6 women's outdoor track & field team will being competing at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships held in Charlotte, North Carolina on Thursday, May 24.

The Rams and Rambelles, 2018 LSC Champions, were 10^th and 13^th as a team last year at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Rambelles finished a program best seventh at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships in March while the Rams were 38^th.

A total of 17 student-athletes will be competing with Nils Fischer trying to defend his 2017 javelin crown.

Fischer, the 2017 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field javelin champion, heads into the championships with the best throw in Division II. His mark of 250'-11" (76.48-meters) came at LSC Championships as he won the individual title in the javelin. It is the third best throw in Division II history and sets the LSC and ASU records as well. He will compete for a title on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. EST.

Kaitlin Lumpkins, the 2018 indoor champion in the high jump, will try to bring home her second national title and become the eighth student-athlete to sweep both indoor and outdoor titles since 1985. She has led the nation with a clearance of 5'-11.25" (1.81-meters) which is the ASU and LSC records. The Lampasas native has cleared at least 5'-8.75" (1.75-meters) in four of her five outdoor meets. It will be her third outdoor championships after being named All-American in 2017. Lumpkins will compete on Friday at 5:45 p.m.

Kami Norton will have a busy weekend with the heptathlon, 100-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles and the long jump. She is an 11-time All-American and the 2018 indoor pentathlon champion. The senior will try to become the fifth female since 2009 to win the pentathlon and heptathlon in the same season. She would join Aisha Adams and Amy Bipttert as other ASU winners in the heptathlon. She has the third best score of 5,208 points scored at the Cactus Cup but her personal best is 5,469 points set at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships last season. She earned All-American honors in the 400-meter hurdles last season and has qualified for the national meet in the 100-meters hurdles in all three seasons. The Albany native has been an All-American in the heptathlon twice and was a second team All-American in the long jump last year. Norton will start her weekend on Thursday with the heptathlon at 11 a.m., the long jump at 5:40 p.m. and the preliminaries of the 400-meter hurdles at 7:55 p.m. EST that evening. She will have the second day of the heptathlon on Friday starting at 10:30 a.m. and the prelims of the 100-meter hurdles at 6:40 p.m. EST. The finals of the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles will be on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. and 5:40 p.m.

Daisy Osakue will have to sit and wait until Saturday until her events start. The sophomore is set to compete in the discus and the shot put. She will start with the shot put at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday followed by the discus at 4 p.m. She has the sixth best throw in Division II of 51'-7.75" (15.74-meters) but her personal best came indoors at the national meet with a toss of 52'-1.75" (15.89-meters). The Italian will go into the discus throw after setting the Division II record with mark of 195'-11" (59.72-meters). She was fourth last season in the discus and 12^th in the shot put. She is a three-time All-American with two coming outdoors and one during the indoor season.

Tyler Russell enters his first national championships with the best high jump bar in Division II. The freshman cleared 7'-1.50" (2.17-meters) at the Lone Star Conference Championships to move up to the top of the national list. He won the LSC Championship and set a personal best with the jump. He is set to compete on Friday, May 25 at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Harry Maslen is hoping for another All-American honor in the decathlon. The junior set his personal best and No. 2 national mark of 7,496 points at the David Noble ASU Relays. He placed fourth last year at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the decathlon and was sixth in the heptathlon earlier this season during indoors. He will start the decathlon on Thursday, May 24 at 10:30 a.m.

Mason Myrick will compete in his second outdoor national championships. He was 17^th last season at the national championships in the discus. The Stanton native set his personal best of 182'-0" (55.48-meters) and is ranked No. 5 in Division II going into the meet. He will throw on Friday, May 25 at 4 p.m. EST.

Trivett Jones was a second team All-American during the indoor season and goes into his first outdoor national championships ranked sixth with a jump of 17'-00.75" (5.20-meters). The bar was cleared at the Cactus Cup and is a personal best for the sophomore. The LSC Champion will compete in the pole vault on Saturday, May 26 at 12:30 p.m. EST.

Dragan Pesic is headed to his first national championship meet as a member of Angelo State. The senior set his personal best at the LSC Championships with a score of 7,077 points. His score puts him at No. 7 nationally going into the meet. He begins competition on Thursday, May 24 at 10:30 a.m.

Barbara Rivera is set for her first NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, competing in the javelin. The senior has eighth best throw in Division II this season with her toss of 155'-2" (47.31-meters). Rivera has a personal best of 165'-4" (50.39-meters) recorded while at South Alabama last season. She won the LSC title with her seasonal best and will compete on Saturday, May 26 at 1:15 p.m. EST.

Ben Thiel will pull double duty at his first NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. His experience from his days at Oregon should pay off as he is currently eighth in the 400-meter hurdles with his seasonal best time of 51.80. He is eighth in the event. He is also a leg on the men's 4x400-meter relay. The relay consists of Thiel, Tyler Welch, Deandre Wade and Nicholas King. It will be the first outdoor championships for the other three members of the relay. The relay has the 12^th best time of 3:10.22 going into the meet. The 400-meter hurdles preliminaries are scheduled for Thursday, May 24 at 7:40 p.m. while the 4x400-meter preliminaries are Friday at 7:50 p.m. EST.

Heather Shaffer will be at her first NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships of her career. The junior used the last meet of the regular season to her advantage by clearing a personal best and NCAA Division II provisional mark of 12'-8.75" (3.88-meters) to move up to No. 13 nationally.  She will compete on Thursday, May24 at 2 p.m. EST.

Trenadey Scott will be at her second consecutive outdoor track & field championships competing in the triple jump. She was a second team All-American in 2017 after recording a mark of 41'-2.25" (12.55-meters). She has a seasonal best jump of 40'-6.25" (12.35-meters) which is 13^th best among competitors at the meet. The triple jump will begin on Friday, May 25 at 4:45 p.m.

Jordan Nash will compete in her first NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She enters the meet ranked No. 12 in the heptathlon after recording a personal best of 4,964 points set at the David Noble ASU Relays. She will start competing on Thursday, May 24 at 11 a.m. EST.