Hope College's Jane Pearson has established herself as one of the top all-around track & field athletes in the country by qualifying for three consecutive NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship meets.
The senior from Lake City, Michigan (Northern Michigan Christian HS) is driven to make the most of her final competition for the Flying Dutch.
Pearson is seeded 15th out of 22 competitors for this week's national championships at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. She earned her qualifying score of 4,416 points at the North Central College Gregory Invitational on May 18-19 in Naperville, Illinois.
The two-day competition features seven events.
The first day starts Thursday at 11 a.m. Central. The 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200-meter dash will be run.
Friday's competition will begin at noon Central. The long jump, javelin and 800 meters will be held.
Click here to watch live video of today's meet.
Click here for an event schedule and live results.
Pearson finished 16th in the heptathlon as a junior and 18th as a sophomore.
Hope coach Kevin Cole said Pearson is driven to improve on her first two finishes at nationals.
"Her goal is to be an All-American," Cole said. "The competition is so strong. Just getting there is an achievement. She definitely wants to take that next step."
Excelling in the heptathlon — and earning All-America status — takes hitting all seven events, Cole said.
"It's seven completely different events. For those two days, you have to be on," Cole said. "Jane is super strong physically and mentally. It comes down to little technique things."
Pearson is hoping to become the fourth different Hope heptathlete to earn All-America honors. The group includes Lindsay Lange (2006-08), Kara Vande Guchte (2010) and Kelly Etheridge (1995).
