Greencastle, Ind. - March 12, 2010 - Steve Headley won his preliminary race in the 55 meter dash in a time of 6.30 to advance to Saturday's finals at the 2010 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships. Sophomore Kevin Coyle finished eighth in the country in the long jump to earn All-American honors in his first trip to the NCAA's. Running in lane three in the first of two heats, Headley breezed to a win in his race as he crossed the finish line in 6.30 seconds, winning by .10 seconds. At the time of his race, he had set the Hollensteiner Track record. However, Headley, the defending national champion, did not record the fastest time of the prelims as Delannie Spriggs from Salisbury University ran the fastest time in the country to date and reset Headley's Hollensteiner Track record after recording a time of 6.26.
In Saturday's final, Spriggs will line up in lane four, while Headley will race in lane five. Last season, Headley edged Spriggs for the national championship as the Headley ran a 6.26 compared to Sprigg's 6.30.
Coyle achieved All-American status in his first trip to the NCAA's with a distance of 6.85 meters (22-5 3/4) in the long jump. The sophomore originally qualified for the NCAA's with a season-best distance of 7.19 meters (23-7 1/4) which he set at Bowdoin.
Coyle qualified for the finals in the long jump with a leap of 6.85 meters (22-5 3/4) in the prelims. In the finals, he then jumped that exact distance on his second jump to finish eighth in the country.
Kellen McCrary of Wisconsin La Crosse won the national championship in the long jump after jumping 7.16 meters (23-6).
Nickel Hay also competed in the opening day of the NCAA Championships but failed to reach the finals in the 400 meters as he crossed the finish line of the prelims in 50.36. Running in the third and final heat, Hay was third out of four runners in his race.
The junior entered the race seeded ninth in the country after reaching a qualifying time of 48.69 at the Boston University Valentine Invitational on February 13.
Ken Klatka, just inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in October, 2011, enters his 37th season as head coach of the men’s track and field program in 2012-2013. He ranks among the nation’s most successful coaches, with an overall record of 442 wins, 144 losses, and two ties for an impressive .753 winning percentage. Under his direction, Kevin Coyle '12 won the 2011 Division III Indoor Long Jump National Championship.
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