Berea, Ohio - May 27, 2010 - The Springfield College 4x100 relay team qualified for the finals, as did Steve Headley in the 200 meter dash in the first day of the 2010 NCAA Division III Outdoor Men's Track and Field Championships.The relay squad of Tom Brognano, Headley, Nickel Hay, and Matt Amendola ran the sixth fastest time of the afternoon to qualify for the finals. The team crossed the finish line in 41.45 as it finished second in the third heat. Springfield entered the meet seeded 11th as it ran the exact same time of 41.45 at the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championships to qualify. The team, which acheived All-American status last season, will run in the finals on Saturday afternoon.
As for Headley, he ran the second-fastest time in the prelims of the 200, a 21.14, to advance to the finals, which will also be run on Saturday. Headley entered the race seeded second after qualifying with a time of 21.10, which he ran at the Division III New England Championships. Moravian's Eric Woodruff, the defending national champion in the event, ran a 20.85 in the prelims to qualify first, and set a new NCAA Championships record with his time.
Headley's busy weekend continues on Friday as he will run in the prelims of the 100 meter dash, where he is the defending national champion.
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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