Men's Track and Field 5/13/2015 1:41:00 PM

Seven Mavericks Gear Up for NCAA Championships

Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State men's track and field team will be sending seven individuals to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships.

This year's championship meet will be hosted by Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich., beginning May 21st.

No. 6 Minnesota State goes into the championships having been ranked in the top-10 for six weeks throughout the outdoor season including a pair of weeks at the second spot.

The Mavericks finished last year's championships in eighth-place and have finished in the top-20 overall in the last three outdoor championships.

About Head Coach Jim Dilling: In just his second year as head coach of the men's program, Dilling has already guided the Mavericks to consecutive NSIC Outdoor Championships taking this year's title with 202.5 points with second-place garnering 92. Dilling's two victories marks four in a row for the MSU program. Dilling was also named the NSIC Men's Coach of the Year during both years under his tutelage.

Emmanuel Matadi: The senior is making his first trip to the Division II Championships and will be competing in the 100-meters, 200-meters and 4x100 relay. The St. Paul, Minn. native set the school-record in the 100-meters with a time of 10.19 set during the preliminary rounds of the NSIC Outdoor Championships. He was also part of the 4x100 relay team that established a new school-record with a time of 40.15. Matadi captured conference titles in the 100 and 200 meter runs. The University of Louisville transfer currently ranks first in the 100-meters and fourth in the 200-meters. He is a two-time NSIC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week and was named USTFCCCA All-Central Region as well as the NSIC Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. Matadi was an Division II All-American during the indoor season this year as well.

Kyran Stewart: The senior is no stranger to the Division II Championships having been named an All-American in two events last season. For Albany State University, Stewart finished seventh in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.68 and also helped guide the 4x100 team to a fifth-place posting at 40.45. The Camilla, Ga. native will be participating in the 100 and 200 meter events in addition to the 4x100 relay. Stewart was a part of the 4x100 relay team that set the school-record at 40.15. He currently ranks seventh in both the 100 and 200-meter runs with a time of 10.35 in the 100 and 20.86 in the 200 setting both at the NSIC Outdoor Championships. He was on the 4x100 relay team that captured the NSIC Outdoor Championship title. Was named USTFCCCA All-Central Region.

Anthony Gustafson: Gustafson has been very productive all four of his years in the purple and gold. This marks the second time that the Fairbault, Minn. native will be participating at the NCAA Division II Championships. In 2013, he was part of the 4x100 relay team that finished eighth and took home All-American honors. Gustafson is a three-time USTFCCCA All-Central Region award winner taking home the award in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

Richard Wilhite, Jr.: The junior will be making his first trip to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships. The Minneapolis, Minn. native will be participating in the 4x100 relay event of which he was a part of that set a new school-record of 40.15. The Washington State University transfer also helped guide the Maverick relay team to the conference championship. Wilhite was named to the USTFCCCA All-Central Region team as well. He is a former NJCAA National Championships participant when he ran for Butler County Community College.

Nathan Hancock: Hancock will wrap up his athletic career at Minnesota State with his first trip to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships. The Independence, Mo. native currently sits 12th in the decathlon across Division II. Hancock, who also excelled at football for the Mavericks, has won two straight NSIC decathlon titles winning this year with 6,951 total points. He is a three-time USTFCCCA All-Central Region award winner for the outdoor season winning in 2012, 2014 and 2015. Hancock is a four-time NCAA Indoor All-American for the heptathlon finishing second in 2014. He is also the school-record holder for the heptathlon with 5,449 points. Was named Don Hansen All-American Second Team Defense this past season.

Myles Hunter: Sophomore Hunter will be travelling to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships for the second-straight year. Last year, he garnered All-American honors as he finished second in the 110-meter hurdles and will be competing in that same event this season. The Conyers, Ga. native captured the NSIC Outdoor title in the 110-meter hurdles setting a new school-record with a time of 13.8. Hunter has received USTFCCCA All-Central Region honors in both 2014 and 2015. During the indoor season, Hunter set both a new school-record and also a new Division II record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.64 at the SDSU Indoor Classic in Brookings, S.D.

Keyvan Rudd: Rudd is closing out his track and field career with one more attempt in the high jump at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships. This marks the second time the Davenport, Iowa native will be at the outdoor championships and sixth time between both indoor and outdoor. Rudd set a new career-best at the Drake Relays of 7'1.75" which brings him to second in Division II. He was once named NSIC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week. He has been an USTFCCCA Outdoor All-Central Region recipient in 2012, 2013 and 2015. Rudd, who also played football for the purple and gold, is a two-time indoor All-American finishing sixth in 2014.

The full list of participants may be viewed HERE.

The NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships are slated to run May 21-23 in Allendale, Mich., on the campus of Grand Valley State University.

Emmanuel Matadi	100-Meter Dash 200-Meters 4x100-Meter Relay	5/21 5/21 5/22 5/23 5/23 5/23	4x100 Relay Prelims - 5:00 p.m. 100-Meter Prelims - 6:25 p.m. 200-Meter Prelims - 5:45 p.m. 4x100 Relay Finals - 2:10 p.m. 100-Meter Finals - 3:35 p.m. 200-Meter Finals - 4:50 p.m.
Kyran Stewart	100-Meter Dash 200-Meters 4x100-Meter Relay	5/21 5/21 5/22 5/23 5/23 5/23	4x100 Relay Prelims - 5:00 p.m. 100-Meter Prelims - 6:25 p.m. 200-Meter Prelims - 5:45 p.m. 4x100 Relay Finals - 2:10 p.m. 100-Meter Finals - 3:35 p.m. 200-Meter Finals - 4:50 p.m.
Anthony Gustafson	4x100-Meter Relay	5/21 5/23	Prelims - 5:00 p.m. Finals - 2:10 p.m.
Richard Wilhite, Jr.	4x100-Meter Relay	5/21 5/23	Prelims - 5:00 p.m. Finals - 2:10 p.m.
Nathan Hancock	Decathlon	5/21 5/21 5/21 5/21 5/21 5/22 5/22 5/22 5/22 5/22	100-Meter Dash - 10:30 a.m. Long Jump* Shot Put* High Jump* 400-Meters* 110-Meter Hurdles - 9:30 a.m. Discus* Pole Vault* Javelin* 1,500-Meters*
Myles Hunter	110-Meter Hurdles	5/22 5/23	Prelims - 6:50 p.m. Finals - 2:55 p.m.
Keyvan Rudd	High Jump	5/23	Finals - 2:05 p.m.

* Decathlon events will begin 30 minutes following the completion of the prior event.

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Seven Mavericks Gear Up for NCAA Championships