EMPORIA, Kan. — Tusculum University freshman Caley Sosnowski and sophomore Theresa Green-White each earned All-America honors on the final day of the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championship at Francis G. Welch Stadium.
Sosnowski placed second in the women’s javelin and Green-White took sixth in the women’s 100-meter hurdles to help the Pioneers finish in a tie for 21st place in the final women’s team standings with 11 points. They are the second and third women’s All-Americans in program history, joining Nicole McMillen who was sixth in the steeplechase in 2019.
Sosnowski entered the meet as the co-top seed with Keilee Johnson of Missouri Southern at 49.05 meters, but settled for silver behind freshman Olivia Vanderweide of Pittsburg State, who entered the meet seeded 19th in the field of 21 throwers but outdistanced Sosnowski by just over a foot to take the upset gold. The Oxford, Florida native is the first Pioneer athlete, male or female, to earn a top-three finish at an NCAA Division II Track & Field Championship.
Vanderweide competed in the first of two flights for Pittsburg State and came up with a mark of 51.93 meters (170 feet, 4 inches) that was more than 20 feet beyond her previous season best of 45.48 meters (149 feet, 2 inches). Sosnowski went in the second flight and hit a career-best throw of 51.60 meters (169 feet, 3 inches) on her second attempt.
In the finals, Sosnowski threw 51.54 meters (169 feet, 1 inch) on the first of her three attempts, but came up several feet short of Vanderweide’s mark on her final two throws. Sosnowski was the only competitor to break 51 meters on two throws during the competition, and had two of the five throws that surpassed 50 meters.
About 20 minutes before Sosnowski wrapped up her silver medal, Green-White competed in the 100 hurdles finals. She entered the race seeded fourth in the field of eight runners, and ended up sixth with a time of 13.88 seconds. The Stafford, Texas native broke 14 seconds six times this season after having a career-best time of 14.24 seconds entering the 2024 outdoor season.
Denisha Cartwright of Minnesota State breezed to the championship in the 100 hurdles with a time of 12.37 seconds, easily outpacing runner-up Nicole Warwick of Azusa Pacific who was clocked in 13.24 seconds.
Sophomore Daryl Smith Jr. competed in the men’s triple jump on Saturday and placed 16th in a field of 19 athletes with a mark of 14.67 meters (48 feet, 1 3/4 inches), the fifth-best of the season for Smith and the eighth-best in program history.
Pittsburg State swept the team championships, scoring 78 points in the men’s meet to beat out West Texas A&M (64 points) and Harding (50 points) and collecting an even 100 points in the women’s meet to beat out Adams State (72 points) and Azusa Pacific (44 points).
Tusculum’s women were one of 60 programs to earn points at the national championship, and the Pioneers’ 11 points were second in the South Atlantic Conference and in the Southeast Region to Lenoir-Rhyne, which placed ninth with 26 points.
