Lest than 24 hours until the NCAA Championship weekend begins and we've given you previews for the D1 and D2 competition.  Kevin Becker was good enough to write a great preview of the Division III meet as well.  For those of you that don't know Kevin, he is the D3 national weight throw record holder and is now training towards the 2012 Olympics.  To learn more about Kevin, read this feature we wrote about him.

D3 Nationals Men’s Weight Throw Preview:

The D3 Men’s Weight Throw this year will likely come down to who shows up to compete, and who does not. UW Oshkosh Sophomore Ben Ludtke may have the best shot at winning the title if he is on his form in the meet. Two weeks ago, he showed he comes to compete at the big meets by dropping a huge national leading PR at 19.65m to win the toughest Division 3 Conference in the country. If he can find his form at the national meet, he may be difficult to beat.

Last year’s runner up Eric Jones is the only other athlete to surpass 19 meters, and he did so just last weekend. His throw of 19.30m was a substantial lifetime PR, and if he can carry over the momentum to this weekend, he has a great chance to finish on top. Entering his third national meet, Jones will know what to expect and will fight hard for a national title in his senior year.

UW Stout senior Sean Larson also seems to be peaking at the right time. His last three meets he has thrown 18.92m, 18.70m, and 18.98m. He has been consistently just under 19m, and if he can make a little jump at the national meet he could have a good chance for a win.

With the other 12 competitors clustered between 18.08m and 18.98m anything could happen. With a big PR, just about anyone could pop up near the top of the podium. Look for a strong and exciting competition on Friday at 5pm Eastern. Click here to watch the live webcast of the meet.

MEN'S WEIGHT THROW ENTRIES
Ben Ludtke              So Wisconsin Oshkosh     19.65m (64-5 3/4)    
Eric Jones              Sr St. Lawrence          19.31m (63-4 1/4)    
Sean Larson             Sr Wisconsin Stout       18.98m (62-3 1/4)    
Tony Baker              Jr Wisconsin Oshkosh     18.78m (61-7 1/2)    
Derall King             Jr Hamline University    18.75m (61-6 1/4)    
Kevin Phipps            Jr Baldwin-Wallace       18.62m (61-1 1/4)    
Bryan Kolacz            Jr Keene State College   18.56m (60-10 3/4)   
Tony Sigrist            So Wisconsin Eau Claire  18.53m (60-9 1/2)    
Tom Sroka               Sr Aurora University     18.35m (60-2 1/2)    
Andrew Brueggen         Jr St. Mary's (Minn)     18.34m (60-2)        
Ross Bunchek            So Carthage College      18.33m (60-1 3/4)    
Rich McNeil             Sr Bates College         18.29m (60-0 1/4)    
Robert Kapustka         So North Central College 18.09m (59-4 1/4)    
Josh Brennan            Jr Carthage College      18.08m (59-4)  

D3 Nationals Women’s Weight Throw Preview:

The women’s weight at D3 nationals should also be a strong competition. University of Chicago Senior Claire Ray is the clear favorite at 19.07m. She not only has the farthest mark this year, she also is the only person to have more than one meet over 18 meters. She will need to come ready to compete, but if she can lay out a big throw early she has a great shot at the win.

Rochaunda Harris of Greenville College wouldn’t have been in this conversation a week ago, but she came on very strong last weekend with a huge PR of 18.45m to enter the meet ranked second. If she can carry over the momentum from that throw she will challenge for the title.

Holly Ozanich of UW-Oshkosh returns as the national runner up from last year, and she is in striking distance to win it this year. She has beaten Claire Ray 2 out of 3 times this year, but has not broken 18 meters since late January. If she can return to top form for the big meet she will be a strong contender.

The fourth thrower over 18 meters is Carthage College Junior Mindy Harrington. She showed strong big meet presence with a big PR at her conference meet. If she can peak similarly for the national meet she has a chance to pull off an upset. The women’s weight will kick off on Friday at 2:30pm Eastern. Click here to watch the live webcast of the meet.

WOMEN'S WEIGHT THROW ENTRIES
Claire Ray              Sr University of Chicago 19.07m (62-6 3/4)    
Rochaunda Harris        Jr Greenville College    18.45m (60-6 1/2)    
Mindy Harrington        Jr Carthage College      18.10m (59-4 3/4)    
Holly Ozanich           Jr Wisconsin Oshkosh     18.05m (59-2 3/4)    
Vantiel Elizabeth Dunca Sr Bates College         17.54m (57-6 1/2)    
Alyssa Pirinelli        Sr St. Lawrence          17.36m (56-11 1/2)   
Kristin Constantine     Jr University of Chicago 17.34m (56-10 3/4)   
Ahvia Greene            Jr Carthage College      17.29m (56-8 3/4)    
Fatima Rose             So Springfield College   17.00m (55-9 1/4)    
Susie Trzebiatowski     Sr Wisconsin Oshkosh     16.96m (55-7 3/4)    
Ellie Sitek             Sr Wisconsin Oshkosh     16.91m (55-5 3/4)    
Emily Niehaus           So Centre College        16.64m (54-7 1/4)    
Jessa Luebke            Jr Wisconsin Whitewater  16.55m (54-3 3/4)    
Brittany Frederick      So Wisconsin Eau Claire  16.43m (53-11)       
Amanda Brichacek        Jr Nebraska Wesleyan     16.41m (53-10 1/4)   
Nicole Murphy           Sr University of Chicago 16.28m (53-5)        
Christy Bohl            Sr Wisconsin La Crosse   16.27m (53-4 1/2)

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