BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Bridgewater State University senior thrower Michael McPherson (Mansfield, Mass.) has qualified in the shot put for the NCAA Division III Men's Indoor Track & Field Championships which will be held on Friday, March 8th and Saturday, March 9th at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.
McPherson, who is ranked 12th in a field of 13 competitors, recorded his qualifying distance of 55 feet, 8.50 inches (16.98 meters) at the Harvard Open back on December 8th. He also broke his own school record in the shot put with that toss.
For each men's individual event contested, including the heptathlon, the top 13 declared student-athletes were accepted into the competition. For each relay event contested, the top 10 declared relay teams, one per institution, were accepted into the competition.
The men's shot put competition is slated to get underway on Saturday at noon (EST).
McPherson currently holds the BSU individual indoor mark in the shot put as well as the Bears' outdoor records in the shot put (55'7.50") and hammer throw (172'2.00").
This past weekend, McPherson captured the ECAC shot put title with a throw of 55 feet, 0.75 inches (16.78 meters) at the ECAC Division III Indoor Championships held at the New Balance Armory in New York City.
Last spring, McPherson qualified in the shot put for the 2012 NCAA Division III Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships and garned All-American honors as he placed eighth in the event with his school record-setting distance of 55 feet, 7.50 inches.
In just two years with the BSU track and field program, McPherson has been selected as the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Field Athlete of the Week an impressive eight times (five indoor, three outdoor).