CEDARVILLE, Ohio – A talented trio of runners from Cedarville will look to make their mark at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships conducted in Bradenton, Fla., this week.
 
The meet will be held on May 26-28 at the IMG Academy and is co-hosted by the University of Tampa.
 
Koch and Esbenshade will compete in the women's 800 meters while Michalski will participate in the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase.
 
It's been a banner year already for Koch, a sophomore from Washburn, Maine. She owns the Division II women's all-time record in the 800 at 2:02.39 which she set on May 1 at Stanford University in California.
 
That mark also met the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying standard. The next fastest time in DII this spring is 2:06.21.
 
Koch won the 2016 Division II indoor 800 title and she was the 2015 outdoor runner-up.
 
Esbenshade, a junior from Marietta, Pa., comes into the meet ranked 19th of 24 competitors with a time of 2:10.32. She previously qualified for the 2016 indoor 800 meters.
 
Only 1.56 seconds separates entries #10-through-24 and just 0.66 seconds for the final 11 in the list.
 
The women's 800 meter semifinals are scheduled for May 27 at 6:20 p.m. EDT and the final on May 28 at 7:05.
 
Michalski, a sophomore from Xenia, Ohio, is making his first NCAA appearance. He rates 10th of 19 competitors in the steeplechase with a mark of 8:59.43.
 
The last 14 athletes in the entry list are separated by a mere 3.84 seconds.
 
The men's steeplechase semifinals are set for May 26 at 7:25 p.m. with the finals on May 27 at 7:15.