Augustana College's
Travis Beniak has qualified to compete at the U.S. Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Sunday, June 28, in Eugene, Ore.
Beniak, a Zumbrota, Minn., native who recently completed his freshman season at Augustana, will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the U.S. Juniors, which will be held at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon. Competitors must be under 20 years of age.
Beniak qualified for the meet with a season-best time of 9:23.80, which he turned in at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 17 in Walnut, Calif. The qualifying standard was 9:38.00.
"The Augustana track program is very proud that Travis will be representing the Vikings in this prestigious event," Viking head coach
Tracy Hellman said. "This is a great honor and accomplishment for a track athlete to have. Competing at the U.S. Junior Championships is an event that only the best young track and field athletes in the US compete in. This experience will be a huge benefit for the future championships events in which Travis will compete."
The U.S. Junior Track and Field Championships will be held in conjunction with the U.S. Track and Field Championships, also held at Hayward Field.
The junior men's steeplechase is scheduled to begin at 3:40 p.m. (PDT).
The 2009 U.S. Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships will serve as the selection meet for the 2009 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, which will be held at the Hasley Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on July 31 and August 1-2. Two individuals from each individual track event will move on to the Pan American Junior Championships.
Beniak is the first Augustana student-athlete, male or female, to qualify for the U.S. Junior Championships.
Jen Buyske qualified for the U.S. Track and Field Championships in 2005 after she claimed the NCAA Division II national title in the javelin.