NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport track & field teams will make their final push for bids to the NCAA Outdoor Championships this week when the Captains take part in four final qualifiers beginning with the VCU Ram Invitational on Sunday in Richmond.
 
Sunday's competition, which will be held at Sports Backers Stadium, begins at 6 p.m. Zoe Stauffer is currently scheduled to represent the Captains in the javelin during that competition.
 
Along with Stauffer's trip to Richmond, CNU will also take part in the Swarthmore Final Qualifier on Monday before making a midweek trip to Massachusetts for two more showcases. The Williams Final Qualifier is slated for Wednesday in Williamstown before the MIT Final Qualifier takes place on Thursday in Cambridge.
 
Following this week's action, the NCAA Championships will begin on May 23 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. The country's top-20 declared men and the top-22 women in every individual event will be accepted into the national competition. The top-16 relay teams will also advance to the title meet.
 
Coming into the final week of action, four Captains currently rank among the top-50 nationally in their respective events. Leading the way, Clark Edwards is currently 18th in the men's 800 after throwing down a time of 1:52.40 at the New Captains Classic. Kurt Waller also sits among the national leaders in two events after posting the country's 20th-best 400 clocking (48.28) and 46th-fastest 200 time (21.78).
 
On the women's side, Stauffer is 37th in the javelin (39.44 meters) and 41st in the heptathlon (4138). Meanwhile, Sarah Johnson ranks among the nation's top performers in the discus after unleashing a 43.94-meter toss at the Eastern Shore Challenge. That places her 21st in the NCAA.
 
In addition to the nationally-ranked competitors, several standouts are also looking to build upon their starring roles during last week's CAC Championships. Hannah Bowden won the league's 100-hurdles and placed second in the long jump, while Trejon Edmonds walked away with a victory in the men's 3000-steeplechase. Allan Pedin was also the runner-up in the men's pole vault, and Victoria Neston, Lindsay Mulhere, Monica Lannen, and Adrianna DeSantis earned All-League nods in the 4x400-relay.
 
---CNU---