Complete Results

DELAWARE, Ohio – Allegheny track and field closed out a record-filled 2011 outdoor season on Saturday at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships hosted by NCAC member Ohio Wesleyan. The three-day postseason finale included three athletes donning the Blue and Gold, including distance standouts Tony Dipre and Chris Marker, who capped memorable careers with the Gators.

Dipre, who anchored the national championship distance medley relay this past winter, ran 4:01.89 in the qualifying round of the men's 1,500-meter run at NCAAs and was unable to earn a coveted spot in the finals field in what turned out to be a congested and slow series of races. A two-time All-American in the indoor mile, Dipre posted the nation's second-fastest time during the indoor slate (4:06.81) while shattering his own school record. He also ran the pivotal leg that enabled the Gators DMR to finish within one second of the existing Division III national record in a stunning performance at Boston University in February (9:54.42). Dipre's success extended to the hills, where he helped the cross country team earn two third-place team finishes at the national meet while earning All-America accolades in 2008.

Another key cog of the Gators' memorable four-year run in cross country was Chris Marker, who finished his collegiate career with a split of 15:14.62 in the 5,000m on Saturday. Marker, who smashed the school record in the 5k with a time of 14:24.08 last season, earned a pair of NCAC Runner of the Week honors during the most recent campaign. Running 14:28 to qualify for the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships for the third consecutive year, he was also caught in a surprisingly slow and a tight final that included all juniors and seniors. Marker finished sixth overall in the 5,000m last season while earning the second of back-to-back All-America honors in the event. As dominant as Marker could be on the track, he was arguably even better in cross country, where he earned All-America honors in 2009 while securing recognition as Mideast Region Athlete of the Year after becoming the program's first-ever regional champion. In 2010, Marker broke the tape at the NCAC Championships while guiding the Gators to a No. 2 position in the national poll, the team's highest ranking in program history.

Junior Lauren Butler also earned her third straight trip to the NCAA Championships, finishing 10th overall in the women's javelin. Butler, who earned All-America honors in each of the past two seasons, was in position to replicate the feat after a first throw of 136'1”. Unfortunately, Butler lost three spots during the next two rounds, and after failing to improve her initial mark, was eliminated from the competition. Her qualifying performance would have netted a fourth-place finish, but the third-year star will have another chance to get back to the awards stand while making an unprecedented fourth appearance at the spring national meet next season.