Kent State was recently selected as one of 24 teams to compete in the 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen Division I National Dual Meet Championships that will feature four regional locations and a culminating championship for the final four teams that advance out of each region. On Feb. 11, the Golden Flashes will head to New Jersey for their regional, which will include Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Cal Poly and host Rutgers.

The teams for the 2012 event were selected based primarily off the final 2010-11 NWCA Team Rankings as determined by the NWCA Coaches Poll. Twenty-two of the top 25 teams from the final coaches poll ranking have accepted invitations.  Teams within each region will be seeded by Jan. 30, based on season-to-date results.

Next season and beyond, a new qualifying structure will be established which will place more emphasis on the outcome of regular season dual meets. One team in each of the Division I Conferences will be declared the dual meet team champion by the end of January. In addition, "at large" teams will also be selected (based on their success in the current year) to round out a championship field of 24 teams.

Kent State was ranked No. 17 in the final NWCA Coaches Poll and finished 17th at the NCAA Championships. The Golden Flashes lost just one starter to graduation.

Ticket and more specific event information will be available at www.nwcaonline.com and other selected websites by Sept. 1.