Huskies Take Aim at NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships

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KINGSVILLE, Texas – Liz Bloch, Matthew Pahl, Emily Byrd, and Braden Reichl are ready to compete as they represent Michigan Tech at the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Hosted by Texas A&M Kingsville on May 23-25, the four Huskies will look to end the year on a high note as they battle for strong performances and All-America honors with the best runners in Division II.

Bloch makes her second consecutive appearance at the Outdoor Track & Field National Championships after qualifying in the 800m and the 1500m. A USTFCCCA All-Region selection and the repeat champion in the 1500m at the GLIAC Championships, Bloch qualified for the National Championships with a run of 2:09.57 in the 800m at the Dr. Keeler Invitational and a time of 4:24.67 in the 1500m at the Bison Outdoor Classic, both school records. Her time in the 1500m ranks her eighth in the country and third in the Midwest, and her 800m time puts her 15th in Division II and sixth in the region.

After qualifying for the National Championships in 2016, Pahl makes his return to the final race of the season after running a school-record time of 29:46.89 in 10,000m at the Raleigh Relays. The 2019 GLIAC champion in the event, Pahl's time ranked him 14th in the country and sixth in the Midwest, keeping him in good standing throughout the season since March.

Byrd qualified for the National Championships in the 10,000m when she finished with a time of 35:29.30 at the Raleigh Relays, and she maintained that time all throughout the season as she ended the year ranked 13th in Division II and fourth in the Midwest. A Third Team All-GLIAC finisher at the GLIAC Championships in 2019, Byrd set two new Michigan Tech records this season in the 10,000m and in the 5000m. Her time at the Raleigh Relays broke the 10,000m record, while she smashed the 5000m record at the Dr. Keeler Invitational with a time of 17:02.57.

The fourth distance runner to qualify for the National Championships from Michigan Tech, Reichl will be running in the 3000m Steeplechase after hitting a provisional qualifying mark in a first-place finish at the GLIAC Championships as he crossed the finish line at 9:00.20 after leading for most of the race. Reichl's time in the Steeplechase puts him 16th nationally and fifth among runners from the Midwest Region.

"We're definitely excited, especially after the work they've put in all season" said head coach Jake Isaacson. "We're not just satisfied in making the meet, I think we all still want to perform pretty darn well. I'm excited for them to have this opportunity."

All four will compete on Thursday, with Bloch running first in the 1500m preliminaries at 5:55 p.m. Reichl will run the 3000m Steeplechase preliminaries at 7:25 p.m., followed by Byrd in the 10,000m at 8:55 p.m., and Pahl will round out the day of competition at 9:35 p.m. in the 10,000m. For the complete schedule of events, live results, and live video stream, click the links at the top of the page.