St. Lawrence University junior Kathleen Merchant finished in 14th place in the women's javelin at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday evening with a throw of 37.94 meters.

Merchant, who broke her own program record in the event on April 3 with a throw of 46.24 meters, was participating in the national championship meet for the second time; she finished in ninth place in the same event as a first-year in 2019. The NCAA Championships were not held in 2020 due to COVID-19.

"Kath had an incredible season with some amazing highlights, including a massive school record and one of the longest throws in all of NCAA Division III all year," said Saints' head coach Kate Howard. "With this non-traditional year and coming off of an Achilles rupture last year, we weren't sure that the javelin would even be in the cards this spring, but she surpassed all expectations and continued to impress with her resilience and poise.

"Today wasn't the result Kath was hoping for but she's already looking forward to being back at the national championships next season," Howard continued. "We are so proud of how well Kath has represented St. Lawrence and our program on the national level."

The national championship meet, which is being held at the Irwin Belk Track in Greensboro, North Carolina, will continue through Saturday.

Event Results