From Case Western Reserve University Athletics

The Case Western Reserve University track and field competed for the final time before the 2018 NCAA Division III NCAA Championships this week, with a pair of athletes taking part in the multi-events for the first time in their collegiate careers at the Gregory Invitational in Naperville, Ohio on Wednesday and Thursday, while six others headed to Delaware, Ohio for the Great Lakes Elite Meet on Thursday.

Competing in the heptathlon for the first time in her career at the Gregory Invitational, junior Shannon Carroll set career bests in all three events on the second day of competition to propel into sixth place in the standings with a final score of 4,186 points. On Thursday, Carroll placed second in the javelin throw with a mark of 37.73 meters (624 points), third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:30.17 (691 points) and fifth in the long jump with a distance of 5.07 meters (578 points). She moved up in the event after finishing the first day in 12^th place in the heptathlon standings with 2,293 points, which included a third-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 11.08 meters (600 points), a 12^th-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.53 seconds (651 points), a 13^th-place finish in the high jump, clearing the bar at a career-best high of 1.38 meters (491 points) and a 16^th-place finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 29.04 seconds (551 points).

With Thursday marking the final day of competition prior to the NCAA Championships across Division III, senior Danielle Kulpins is a likely qualifier for the Spartans, after entering the week ranked fourth in the country in the steeplechase with a time of 10:40.17. Gupta's season-best mark of 50.48 meters in the hammer throw will likely put her just outside the list of qualifiers for the meet, as it entered the weekend ranked 25^th in Division III.