ROCK HILL, SC— Seven Winthrop outdoor track and field athletes along with its 4x400 women's relay team are in the running for a spot in the NCAA East Region which will be held May 28-29.

Through the first month of outdoor competition, here is how Winthrop's top performers stand in both the regional and national standings:

Ashley Howard is ranked 6^th in the NCAA overall and 3rd in the East Region in the discus (50.75m ; (166-feet, 6-inches).

Sasha Robinson is ranked 32^nd in the NCAA and 15^th in the East Region in the 400m (54.99 sec.).

Rebecca Holmes is ranked 60^th in the NCAA and 34^th in the East Region in the 100m Hurdles (14.05 sec .).                           

Amami Antia Obong is ranked 22^nd in the NCAA and 10^th in the East Region in the Heptathlon (4397 pts.).

The 4 X 400m Relay team is ranked 46^th in the NCAA and 24^th in the East Region (3:48.82).

Jared Baird is ranked 51^st in the NCAA and 31^st in the East Region in the Javelin (62.12m).

Dexter Young is ranked 32^nd in the East Region in the High Jump  (2.05m).

AJ Fitzsimmons is ranked 32^nd in the East Region in the  3K steeplechase  (9 min., 39 sec.).

Beginning this year, the NCAA track regions are divided into the West and East Regions.  The east will consist of all Division 1 teams from 26 states roughly east of the Mississippi River. The top 48 athletes and 24 relays from each region will convene on May 28 and 29 to compete for 12 individual spots and eight relays spots in what will be called Round One of the NCAA Outdoor Championship to be held on June 9-12 in Eugene, Oregon.

“To have seven athletes and our relay in the mix this late in the season is huge for our program,” said Winthrop head coach Ben Paxton. “We have had a month of meets across the country and while some times and distances will change, I feel that Ashley's (Howard) throw and Sasha's (Robinson) sprinting will remain very high up the list.  Our goal at the beginning of the season was to get 12 or more kids to compete at the regional's with a chance of gettingt to the NCAA”s. With the Big South meet coming up, we are poised to accomplish those goals and hopefully more.”