By MIKE BOGEN, The Republican
There is more to March than madness.
For some, March means honors well-earned for games well-played the
previous several months, and for others, it means opportunity, the
chance to cap a fine season with championship performances.
This weekend, for instance, is the biggest of the season for those
competing in indoor track and field with each of the three NCAA
divisions gathering at sites throughout the country.
American International College freshman Bidemi Balogun will make
her debut on the national stage at the NCAA Division II Indoor
Track & Field Championships starting Friday at an event of
staggering proportions.
The track and field nationals are part of the Division II Winter
National Championships Festival at University of Houston, where
more than 800 student-athletes will gather to compete for titles in
men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's track and
field and men's wrestling
Balogun, who is the first AIC athlete to qualify for either the
NCAA indoor or outdoor nationals, will compete in the weight throw.
The freshman from Providence, R.I., a four-time Northeast-10
Freshman of the Week, had a qualifying throw of 16.86 meters, the
14th best of 14 qualifiers and three feet less than No. 1 seed Tara
Cooper of Ashland (19.97m).
But, just her presence - from the northeast, only a handful of
Southern Connecticut women and a relay team from UMass Lowell
joined her at - is an accomplishment.
The Republican: 'AIC's Balogun Will Make Her Debut at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships'
Posted: Mar 12, 2009