Five Cal State Stanislaus track and field athletes are scheduled to compete in the NCAA Division II Championships at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C., with the three-day event starting Thursday.

Leading the group is senior Kasey Burlingham, the defending champion in pole vault.

The other four are all female competitors, as steeplechaser Denali Foldager, sprinter Derrhea McLiechey and pole vaulters Alycia Wagner and Annie Burlingham will all look to make an impression at their division's biggest stage.

Kasey Burlingham is the lone returner, and he looks to successfully defend his pole vaulting title. On May 14, he posted his season's best mark at his school's Twilight Qualifier, where he cleared 17 feet, 4 1/2 inches, four inches from his 2009 height that earned him a national championship.

This season, he's ranked second in the nation behind Western Washington's Ryan Brown, whose best mark is 17-7.

In the women's pole vault, Wagner (12-4 1/2) and Annie Burlingham (12-3 1/2) qualified for the national meet at No. 14 and 16, respectively. Burlingham looks to become a two-time All-American in the same year after she earned her first honor at the indoor national championship in March.

Since 2003, six Warriors have earned All-American honors in pole vault, a run that includes having Chaunte Mitchell (2004-05) win two national titles.

In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Foldager solidified her national spot at the Twilight Qualifier after finishing in 10 minutes, 46.22 seconds. The sophomore is ranked 16th in the event.