A select group of Eastern track and field runners will make the trip to South Bend, Ind., for the Last Chance Meets this weekend in an attempt to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

The women will be represented on the campus of Notre Dame University by sprinter Alicia Harris, while the men’s team will send distance runner Jakestout along with their distance medley relay crew of Dan Strackeljahn, Kevin Atkins, Casey Becker and Erik Werden.

Harris, a junior who attended high school Wheaton North, has set four school records this year in the 60 (7.64), 200 (24.98), 400 (54.96) and 600 (1:34.36) meter dashes. At the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor championship meet, Harris was named women’s ‘Co-Athlete of the Meet’ as she won the 200 and 400 meter dashes. Harris’ time of 54.96 in the 400 meter was a new Lantz Fieldhouse record.

The Panther’s women’s head coach Mary Wallace is hoping with a superb time, Harris will be eligible for the NCAA Championship meet.

“Alicia is going (to South Bend) in an attempt to qualify for the standards set by the NCAA in the 400 and 200 meter,” Wallace said. “The NCAA has automatic standards and provisional standards and we are hoping Alicia can qualify for the NCAA with a provisional time.”

If Harris is to qualify for the NCAA Championship in the 400 meter, Wallace said she will have to improve on her performance on her record setting performance at the OVC Championship.

Men’s head coach Tom Akers said his reasoning behind sending the distance medley relay crew and Stout was a reward for their showing at the OVC Championship. The distance crew bested Eastern Kentucky University 10:14.15 to 10:14.72 in one of the closest races at the meet. Becker ran the first leg of the 4×400 meter relay team that finished third behind Tennessee State and Southeast Missouri State University.

“It’s tough how we decide to pick who goes but we thought the distance medley crew did well last weekend and could go after a top ten finish at the meet,” Akers said. “We also took people who looked good at the OVC Championship and (Becker) was one of those people.”

As dominating as Harris was at the OVC Championship meet she will face competition from all over the United States according to Wallace.

“I don’t know any particular teams but quite a few schools from all over come to this meet,” Wallace said. “Probably 15 or 20 different schools send partial squads with athletes they think could qualify for the NCAA met.”

Akers pointed out that only the best of the best make the trip to South Bend and because of the competition he expects a barn burner in the distance medley relay.

“It’s definitely high quality athletes because there are only a handful of these meets, and a lot of teams get into them trying to nip and tuck their way into the NCAA meet,” Akers said. “With the competition involved the distance medley relay on Friday night will be smoking.”

The Last Chance Meets will start on Friday and continue all day Saturday.