COLUMBUS, Ohio — A case of food poisoning kept Lawrence University track and field standout Rose Tepper from competing at the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday.
Tepper (Mount Vernon, Iowa/Mount Vernon) and Lawrence head coach Jason Fast both became ill on Friday. Tepper was scheduled to compete in the high jump on Saturday morning at Capital University but was still far too ill to take part in the meet.
This was the first trip to the NCAA Championships for Tepper, who earned a qualifying spot when she jumped 5 feet, 5.75 inches, on Feb. 5. That jump broke Madeline Steininger’s school record.
This caps what has been a rough month for Tepper. She injured her knee several weeks ago while stretching before practice. That injury forced her to miss the Midwest Conference Championships. Tepper had returned to practice this past Monday and left for the NCAA Championships on Wednesday.