Paris, France --- UNI's Erin Kerkhoff and Indiana State's Noah Malone have been named to the 2023 U.S. Paralympic national track and field team, as announced by U.S. Paralympic Track and Field on Sunday. 

Malone will compete in the T12 100m-dash on July 9th at 10:34am local time. Kerkhoff will compete in the T13 100m on July 9th at 7:30pm local time, the 200m on July 11th at 10:14 am local time, and the 400m on July 16th at 10:29am local time. 

Malone, who currently owns the T12 world records in both the 100m (10.34) and 200m (21.55), is coming off a season that saw him finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in the 100m and earn all-conference honors as part of the 4x400m relay team, while also qualifying for the NCAA East Preliminary Round as part of Indiana State's 4x100m relay team. He was a part of the Sycamores' sweep of the 60m podium at the 2023 MVC Indoor Championships, where he earned all-conference honors in both the 60m and 200m. Indiana State won the MVC Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships in both 2022 and 2023 with Malone scoring double-digit points for the Sycamores in each of the last three conference championship meets.
 
No stranger to the international stage, Malone is a three-time Paralympic medalist, with each of his medals coming at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. Malone won gold in the universal 4x100m relay, while earning silver in both the 100m and 400m. He also placed first in the 100m at the 2022 Dubai Para Grand Prix and placed fourth in the 100m Race to Zero at the 2022 Diamond League Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway, the first-ever Para event at the Diamond League.
 
Malone previously competed at the 2019 Para Pan-Am Games, earning silver in the 100m and gold as part of the 4x100m relay for Team USA. He also earned gold in both the 100m and 200m and silver in the 400m at the 2019 World Para Athletics Junior Championships.
 
The 2023 World Para Athletics Championships will be contested July 8-17 in Paris, France, and will also be the first opportunity for athletes to achieve direct qualification for the 2024 Paralympic Games. The top four ranked athletes in each medal event will earn direct qualification to the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

Kerkhoff, a Solon, Iowa native and sprinter for UNI, will have the opportunity to represent the United States along with 44 other American athletes on the world stage at the World Para Athletics Championships to be held July 8-17 at Charlety Stadium in Paris. The meet will also serve as a qualifying event for next summer's Paralympic Games, also scheduled to be held in Paris.

"We had a phenomenal turnout at the meet this week, and the competitive environment fostered standout performances from veteran athletes and newcomers alike," said Sherrice Fox, Director of U.S. Paralympics Track and Field. "As a program, we are excited about the team we've selected to represent Team USA in Paris this summer. Everyone on this roster has proven that they can be competitive on the world's biggest stage."

The announcement came after Kerkhoff, who is visually impaired due to optic nerve atrophy, competed at the U.S. Paralympic National Championships over the weekend in Chula Vista, California, where she earned first place in the T13 classification in the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes. Athletes selected to this year's world championship team were chosen based on their performances in Chula Vista compared to the National Team 'A' standard in their event.

This marks Kerkhoff's second selection to the national team, and will be her first appearance at the World Championships. Kerkhoff, a former high school standout athlete at Solon High School, broke onto the world para athletics stage in 2021 after qualifying for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, where she finished in eighth place in the 400-meter dash.

"We are thrilled for Erin to have the opportunity to represent the United States once again on the international stage," said Dave Paulsen, UNI's Director of Track and Field. "The hard work she has put in during her time at UNI has translated beyond our campus and program into opportunities of a lifetime. We're so excited to support her in her journey to make the U.S. Paralympic team for 2024!"

During this past collegiate season, Kerkhoff set new career-bests in the indoor 60 meters (8.12) and indoor 400-meter dash (56.72), while also clocking a new career record in the outdoor 200-meter dash (25.69) for the Panthers. She notably took third place in the 200 meters at the Wartburg Outdoor Select, as well as second in the 400 meters at Augustana, and fourth at Simpson.

Malone will compete in the T12 100m-dash on July 9th at 10:34am local time. Kerkhoff will compete in the T13 100m on July 9th at 7:30pm local time, the 200m on July 11th at 10:14 am local time, and the 400m on July 16th at 10:29am local time.