Track Prepped for East Region Prelims
May 27, 2015 02:24 PM | General
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| Clearly |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Select members of the West Virginia University women’s track and field team looks to secure a spot in the NCAA Championships when they compete at the 2015 NCAA East Region Preliminaries, held May 28-30, at Hodges Stadium, on the campus of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida.
A total of seven Mountaineers qualified for the meet, as senior Kaitlyn Gillespie, junior Kelly Williams, sophomore Brianna Kerekes and freshmen Millie Paladino, Shamoya McNeil, Amy Cashin and Maggie Drazba all ranked in the top 48 of the East Region in their respective events this season.
“We are very happy with the numbers that have qualified,” said coach Sean Cleary. “Seven athletes in the NCAA meet is a great honor. At the beginning of the season we thought, in a perfect world, we might have a few more but nothing will take away from this accomplishment. This will mark the first time competing at this level for all seven young ladies.”
Four WVU runners will compete in the 1,500-meter run as Paldino, Cashing, Kerekes and Williams all qualified. That tally is second-best nationally, as Oregon will send five runners to the West Region in the 1,500-meter, and ties for most in the East Region. Michigan and Virginia Tech each boast a quartet in the event as well.
Paladink ranks 24th in the region headed into the event with a time of 4:21.35, followed by Cashin in 31st with a 4:22.31. Kerekes finished the regular season ranked 42nd in 4:23.30, while Williams is 45th in 4:23.75. The first round of the 1,500m is slated for a 5:30 p.m. start on Thursday. The top five runners from each of the four heats, as well as the next four fastest times, will advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Gillespie will compete in the 10,000-meter run, scheduled for a 9:30 p.m. start on Thursday. The Big 12 champion in the event, Gillespie ranks seventh in the region with a time of 33:45.56. She will need to finish in the top-12 of the race to qualify for the finals at the National Championships.
Ranking 33rd in the East Region, Drazba is set to run the semifinals of the 5,000-meter event on Saturday at 8:05 p.m. after posting a time of 16:21.43 earlier in the season. The top-5 finishers in each of the two heats, as well as the next two fastest times, will advance to the finals of the National Championships.
McNeil will represent West Virginia in the field events after qualifying in the triple jump. She enters the meet ranked 24th in the event with a season-best jump of 12.81-meters. The first round of the triple jump is set for 4 p.m. Saturday, with the 12 best marks advancing to the National Championships.
“I have always believed that if you’re good enough to qualify for this meet, you’re good enough to do well here,” Clearly said. Our goal is to come in and perform at a level higher than that of how we qualified. I believe each and every one of them have a big performance inside ready to emerge.”
The 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships will be held June 10-13 in Eugene, Oregon.
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