YORK, PA – York College senior track and field standout Julia Pena has earned her way to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championships as the field was released by the NCAA on Sunday.

Pena qualified for three events at the championship but elected to focus on and compete in the pole vault and the 60-meter hurdles. She also qualified for the long jump but will not compete in the event at the championships.

The Indoor Championships will be held on Friday, March 10 and Saturday, March 11 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama. Pena is one of ten qualifiers from the Middle Atlantic Conference.

Pena owns the indoor school records in the pole vault, the 60-meter hurdles and the long jump. She set the pole vault mark of 3.81 meters on December 9 at the Diplomat Open. Her 60-meter hurdles record of 8.73 was set at the MAC Indoor Championships on February 25. Pena established the new long jump record of 5.74 meters on the first day of the MAC Championships on February 24.

Pena had a huge MAC Indoor Championship meet as she was named the MAC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year after winning the pole vault and the long jump while she was second in the 60-meter hurdles. She has named the MAC Athlete of the Week seven times during the indoor season. 

Pena's trip to the NCAA Championship marks the first time a Spartan women's track and field athlete has earned a berth in the NCAA Division III indoor championships. Jasmine Smith is the other Spartan woman to qualify for the NCAA Championships as she earned a spot in the 2012 outdoor championships in the long jump.

Pena is ranked tenth heading into the 60-meter hurdles while she is 11^th in the pole vault. The 60-meter hurdles preliminaries are set for 1:40 pm on Friday afternoon. The pole vault will be contested at 4:15 pm on Friday afternoon. The women's 60-meter hurdle final is set for Saturday at 2:50 pm.
 
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