Beloit College's Candis Damtse ready for run at D-III Nationals

Beloit College’s Candis Damtse qualified for this week’s NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships in the 400 meters while competing in the Augustana Midwest Twilight Qualifier on May 16.

Damtse, a senior from Accra, Ghana, became the second straight Buccaneer to qualify in the 400, joining T’Aira Boyance, who finished 15th in last year’s championships.

Damtse was the dominant force in the MWC in the 400 in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Her time of 59.01 won the MWC Indoor Championships and she was named MWC Track Performer of the meet. She ran a 56.65 to win the Outdoor MWC title and earned Track Performer of that meet as well.

Damtse ran an personal-best 56.13 in her final meet of the outdoor season to achieve a school record and seal her spot in the NCAA Championships at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach which starts on Thursday and wraps up on Saturday.

The Bucs’ women’s team has been well-represented at Nationals in recent years with Eva Laun-Smith and Aminah Crawford both earning D-III All-American honors at the meet.