Wabash College junior RaShawn Jones and freshman Preston Whaley will represent the Wabash College track and field team this weekend at the 2019 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships set to take place March 8 and 9 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Jones will compete in the 60-meter hurdles at the indoor national championship meet for the first time in his career. He qualified for the 2018 outdoor championship meet and earned All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles. Jones qualified for the 2019 indoor championship meet with a top time of 8.02 for the second-fastest time reported by a Division III runner this season. He won the same race at last weekend's 2019 North Coast Athletic Conference Championship Meet with a finals time of 8.42 despite running with an injury to help Wabash win its sixth men's indoor conference title.
 
Jones is still rehabbing the injury heading into the championship meet this weekend. His success at last year's 110-meter hurdle race provides some confidence entering the indoor national meet.
 
"I've been talking with Coach Morgan and our trainers," Jones said. "They keep telling me to get any thoughts of the injury out of head, stay with my rehab program and take things day by day until the prelims on Friday. I'm trying to take that advice heading into the meet. Coming off the experience from last year at the outdoor national championship meet, I'm not as nervous for this weekend's event. Now I know what to expect. I know the environment I'll be in. I just have to focus."

Whaley will compete in the triple jump, an event he also won at the conference championship meet last weekend to help him earn the Men's Newcomer of the Year Award. The freshman broke the Wabash record in the triple jump in December 2018, then broke his own record in early February at the Fred Wilt Invitational at Purdue University with a leap of 14.27 meters (46 feet, 10 inches).
 
Whaley was the last triple jump entry to make the list of 20 national qualifiers. For Whaley, that in itself is a huge honor.
 
"I never thought I would be top-20 in the nation in my first collegiate season," Whaley said. "That's a real surprise to me. I'm grateful for the opportunity to compete in Boston this weekend. I talked to RaShawn a little bit Monday about the atmosphere around the meet. He told me to have fun and not stress about anything. I really haven't thought too much about it. I'll leave the thinking for when we actually get there. I just want to get out there Saturday, compete, and give my best effort."
 
"I knew Preston was going to be special when I recruited him," Wabash head coach Clyde Morgan said. "One thing about Preston, he's a very even-keeled guy. When he broke the school record it was like nothing had happened. When he broke it again later in the season he just smiled and gave a thumbs up when he saw the mark. He never gets too high or too low. He'll get quiet when he gets locked in for a jump.
 
"RaShawn wears his emotions on his sleeve. They balance each other out with one being older and one younger. I think it's a blessing RaShawn can mentor Preston this week on all of the little things about nationals and to not let those little things become distractions. At the end of the day it's just a track meet. For Preston it's the same runway and sand that he's being used to since he was a little kid. For RaShawn it's the start and six hurdles. It's important to keep that same mindset. Don't change from what you did to get to the national meet now that you're competing at the national meet."

The preliminary round of the 60-meter hurdles will take place at 2:15 p.m. on Friday, March 8 with the finals scheduled for 1:55 p.m. on Saturday, March 9. The triple jump will take place on Saturday at 2 p.m. Complete coverage of the national championship meet can be found at https://www.ncaa.com/news/trackfield-indoor-men/2019-03-06/ncaa-diii-indoor-track-and-field-championships-schedule-live.