May 25, 2004

OXFORD, Ohio - Junior Erik Reynolds (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) and freshman Jake Dunkleberger (Smyrna, Ga./The Lovett School) lead a contingent of six men that are traveling to Baton Rouge, La., this weekend (May 28-29), to represent Miami University's men's track & field team at the NCAA Mideast Regional. Six RedHawks qualified in eight events for the chance to advance to the NCAA Championships in early June.

To qualify for the NCAA Regional meet, an athlete must meet a qualifying standard in their event or win a conference championship. All six Miami athletes met their qualifying marks, while Reynolds and Dunkleberger also won their events at the Mid-American Conference Championships two weeks ago.

Reynolds cleared 6-10 3/4 in the high jumps three times on the season to qualify for the meet, with the third jump leading him to the conference crown. Dunkleberger has won all but one hammer event this season, meeting the qualifying standard each time. His season-best toss of 205-2 is the second-longest in school history behind Dennis Kline's 206-7 throw from 1989. The freshman phenom is the lone RedHawk competing in two events, throwing 54-1 in the shot put at the Southern Ohio Cup for his second regional qualifier.

Miami put a pair of athletes in the pole vault, as both freshman Jake Kuhner (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington) and junior Kelly Tenbrink (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) cleared the regional standard of 16-3 3/4. Kuhner was the ninth Miamian in school history to have cleared the height, doing so at the All-Ohio Championships. Tenbrink followed suit at the Billy Hayes Invitational. Both vaulters are now ninth in school history in their event.

In his first season with the event, sophomore Dan Huling (Geneva, Ill./Geneva Community) qualified for the meet in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 8:58.88. He won his first two tries at the event and has qualified at each of the last two, which included a second-place finish at the MAC Championships. An all-region selection with cross country, the regional is his fourth time running the event competitively.

Senior Nick Somerville (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) rounds out the RedHawk competitors, qualifiying in the long jump. A former MAC Champion, and Miami's current record holder, Somerville cleared 24-1 3/4 in the event at the All-Ohio Championships to advance to his first regional.

The RedHawks are vying for spots in the NCAA Championships, which is scheduled for June 10-12 in Austin, Texas. Among the four regions, the top five finishers from each region, as well as the next six to eight best marks in the nation, advance to the national meet.