AUGUSTA, Ga. – Junior Dustin Ross will return to his home state Colorado, on Thursday, May 23 to compete in the 1500-meter run at the 2013 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Pueblo, Colo.
Ross, the last competing student-athlete for Augusta State, qualified for the 1500 after his fourth-place finish (3:50.31) at the Georgia Tech Invitational on May 11. Ross races in heat one of the 1500 preliminaries tomorrow, Thursday May 23 at 5:25 p.m. (Mountain Time). If he qualifies, Ross competes in the finals on Saturday, May 25 at 5:46 p.m. (MT)
"Dustin has had a tremendous season and has worked hard in the classroom and on the track and trails to prepare for this moment," Track & Field/Cross Country Head Coach Adam Ward said. "We always knew this was a possibility and now he has an opportunity to realize one of his goals - competing in the NCAA championships. I am very proud of him."
This season in the 1500, Ross took fourth in the Bob Pollock Invitational at Clemson University in 3:54.70. He finished second with a time of 3:57.13 at the Georgia Relays and took third in 3:57.84 at the Peach Belt Conference Championships in Rome, Ga.
"This is a great first step in building a program from the ground up," Ward said. "It's an exciting time for track and field and I look forward to helping more student-athletes realize their goals at GRU."