INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 20, 2022)  – Junior Laura Mathews and doctoral student Gina Dello Russo of the Stevens Institute of Technology women's outdoor track team were announced as participants in the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Outdoor Track & Championships, the NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Track and Field and Cross Country Committee announced Friday evening.

Mathews, who earned her first All-America honor earlier this year by finishing fifth in the indoor 60-meter hurdles, qualified in the 100-meter hurdles. The Denville, New Jersey native turned in the eighth-fastest time in Division III history earlier this week, finishing first at the All-Atlantic Region Outdoor Championships. Her time of 13.82 seconds, which set a school, conference, and meet record, is the second-fastest time in the country this season. Mathews is aiming to become the first hurdler in school history to earn multiple All-America accolades. Gustavus Adolphus' Birgen Nelson holds the top seed with a time of 13.71 seconds.

"Laura continues to redefine greatness with her third massive personal best in the 100 hurdles this season—this time breaking one of the best MAC records on the books and becoming one of the finest hurdlers in DIII history," head coach Lance Harden said. "She has been building towards this breakthrough race for three years now by refining her technique, increasing her speed between the hurdles, and improving her start. Wednesday was a special day where all of her training and hard work came together. Impressively, she was able to replicate her performance on Thursday in the final in not-as-nice conditions, winning the race decisively against a field that featured five of the top 12 hurdlers in the country."

"Laura has had one of the most spectacular seasons we've ever seen," added assistant coach John Kolibab. "Not only have the times been phenomenal (every race ranking her among some of the best in the country), but she just keeps getting faster. Laura has had more lifetime bests since December than some people have in their entire careers. Saying that she PR'd on Wednesday is an understatement - she dismantled her previous best time and went from being a top 10 hurdler in the country this year to a top 10 hurdler in the history of DIII, all in just 13.82 seconds. We don't know how fast Laura is going to run anymore, and we're not going to try and guess, because attempting to limit her potential at this stage is pointless."

Dello Russo qualified in both the 200-meter dash and the long jump, climbing into the national landscape with both personal bests and conference records over her final two meets. The Morris Plains, New Jersey native moved into first place in the county in the 200, winning the All-Atlantic Region title with a time of 23.89 seconds, making Dello Russo just the 23rd woman in DIII history to post a time under 24 seconds. Dello Russo also qualified in the long jump, qualifying as the third seed, with a distance of 6.01 meters, which ranks 22nd in DIII history. A 12-time All-American, Dello Russo is aiming to become the first student-athlete in program history to earn All-America honors in both sprints and jumps. The Ducks have never had an All-American in the long jump.

"Gina took a big risk this year by choosing to forego her primary race (the 400), follow her heart, and compete in the events that she loves: pole vault, long jump, high jump, 100, and 200," Harden said. "Coming into the final week of the regular season, she was not qualified for NCAA's in any event. Over the course of four straight days, Gina competed in five events, bettering her time in the 200 twice, obliterating her personal best in long jump, breaking two school records, and setting two MAC records. Somehow, Gina seems to get stronger the more events that she competes in! She truly is a superhero who always finds the sublime performance when she needs it."

"Throughout her career, Gina has always been able to do exactly what she needed to do when it matters most," Kolibab added. "Going into the final day of national qualifying, Gina was in a precarious spot in the 200 and was on the outside looking in the long jump. It was a very nervy situation, but then Gina did exactly what Gina has done her entire career. She went from 16th in the country in the 200 to number one, and from 27th in the country in the long jump to number three; the numbers don't do what she did justice. I don't know if we will ever witness something that spectacular or that shocking again in our careers. Even for Gina, this was truly special."

The 2022 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships will take place May 26-28 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. For each women's individual event contested, including the heptathlon, the top 22 declared student-athletes were accepted into the competition.

"Gina and Laura are both gamers who thrive in head-to-head competition," Harden offered. "They rise to the occasion at big meets and we are so excited to see them represent Stevens on the national stage together!"

The SPIRE Institute will serve as the host site for the outdoor nationals for the third time in the last six years.

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