BEREA, Ohio — Sophomore #Mike Pankowski (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills)# earned All-America status with a fifth place finish in the Javelin Throw to highlight Marietta College's performance at the 2010 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championship, which began Thursday (May 27) afternoon on the campus of Baldwin-Wallace College.



Pankowki became Marietta College's sixth straight national participant to earn All-America honors, all coming under the direction of seventh-year Head Coach Derek Stanley. In addition to Pankowski's performance, sophomore #Kim Keesler (Chagrin Falls/Chagrin Falls)# placed 14th in the Pole Vault and sophomore #Brittany Sims (Columbus/Eastmoor Academy)# finished 10th in the 400m Hurdles.

Pankowski, the school record holder and reigning Ohio Athletic Conference champion, entered the 2010 NCAA Championship as a provisional qualifier and ranked 13th in the Javelin Throw. The sophomore, who returned to Marietta and the program after a three-year layoff, moved up to eighth after the prelims. As a result, he earned three more throws. Pankowski took full advantage, unleashing a school record throw of 62.13m (203-10) on his sixth and final attempt. The mark helped him jump into fifth place in the final standings and become Marietta's highest national finisher since the program's reinstatement in 2002.

"Pankowski had his best throw on his final attempt under the most pressure," Stanley said. "Coach (Ken) Ciolek prepared him to accomplish big things, and Panko executed. He has definitely helped Marietta's presence at nationals become even more prevalent."

Keesler entered the championship as Marietta's lone automatic qualifier and was ranked seventh among the 20 competitors. The school record holder successfully cleared 3.63m (11-10.75), which placed her 14th in the competition.

"Keesler really could not find her groove at the competition, which is common for a young, first-time competitor," Stanley said. "She showed ability at times but the timing just wasn't there. She clearly demonstrated that she deserved to be there, and I'm looking forward to her future opportunities."

Sims was the Pioneers' third and final competitor in the 2010 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship. She entered ranked ninth out of the 19 participants in the 400m Hurdles. Sims crossed the line of her preliminary heat in 1:03.02, which placed her 10th. The top eight individuals advanced to the finals.