Championship Site

TROY, N.Y. – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athlete Justin Metzger has qualified for the 2010 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held this weekend at DePauw University's Hollensteiner Track in Greencastle, Ind. This is the second straight appearance at the Indoor National Meet for Metzger, who will be competing in the men's pole vault.

Metzger, a senior out of Clifton Park, N.Y., qualified for Nationals with a school record mark in the pole vault (4.93m) at the 2010 Liberty League Championships on February 13. He heads to Indiana as one of 12 participants in the event, which will take place on Friday at 10am.

A graduate of Shenendehowa High School, Metzger has finished in the top-five in all seven meets he has entered, including wins at the NYC Gotham Cup, the Class of '32 Invitational at Colgate, the Dartmouth Indoor Classic and the Liberty League Championships. He has earned the league's Field Performer of the Week four times this season.

This is the second NCAA Championship appearance for Metzger, who has achieved provisional marks five times in 2010. Other highlights to his season include a second-place finish at the New York State Championships and third overall at the multi-divisional Great Dane Classic.

Metzger represented the Engineers at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Meet, garnering National All-American honors after finishing sixth in the men's pole vault with a height of 4.92 meters. In addition to three consecutive Liberty League indoor pole vault titles, he claimed the New York State title in 2009 and is a two-time league outdoor champion as well.

The NCAA meet begins Friday and continues through Saturday. The top eight finishers in the finals of each event earn All-American status.