Wilmington College junior Antone Truss is headed back to the NCAA Division III Track and Field championships, this time the outdoor championships. He competes 1:30 p.m. Friday at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva.

Truss (Yellow Spring, OH/Yellow Springs) enters the high jump ranked ninth nationally. He joins Christian Patterson and Mason Metts as the only Wilmington student-athletes in the last nine years to qualify for both the indoor and outdoor championships in the same season.

"I'm really proud of the dedication and commitment that Antone has shown this year," said Wilmington head coach Ron Combs. "He's matured a lot as a student and athlete in the last year, and it has showed in all facets of his life. He has accomplished a lot in outdoor, winning the OAC and being runner up in All-Ohio despite battling an ankle injury on his plant foot most of the last month."

He finished 12th with a jump of 1.97 meters, barely missing All-American honors, in the indoor meeting. That experience, according to Combs, will benefit this go around.

"When he qualified and competed at the Indoor Nationals, he was really nervous and it showed in his performance," said Combs. "I think the knowledge he gained from that experience is going to help him and Outdoor Nationals."

The top eight finishers in each event earn All-American honors.  The top 20 male and top 22 female times/marks in each event along top 16 relay teams in the nation have qualified for the meet.

Junior Pierce Burnam (New Richmond, OH/New Richmond) was edged out in his bid to qualify in the 400 hurdles, finishing 21st nationally. He entered the final days ranked 20th with the time of 53.62, but it was eclipsed with a time of 53.20 on the final day.