Photo by: Liz Parke
Mountaineers Ready for NCAA East Prelims
May 23, 2018 02:57 PM | Track & Field
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Five members of the West Virginia University track and field team travel to the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Round, from May 24-26, in Tampa, Florida.
Live Results | Live Stream | Meet Schedule | Start List | Meet Central
Redshirt senior Amy Cashin is set to race in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, while redshirt senior Jillian Forsey and redshirt sophomore Olivia Hill will participate in the women's 10,000-meter run. Senior Sara Finfrock and redshirt junior Madelin Gardner qualified for the women's pole vault competition.
The qualification into the meet is the fourth of Cashin's career, while Forsey and Gardner will compete in the meet for the second time. Finfrock and Hill are set to make their East Prelims debuts.
The three-day regional meet, hosted by the University of South Florida and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, begins Thursday at 8:45 a.m. ET, with running events commencing at 12:30 p.m. Competition at the USF Track & Field Stadium continues Friday beginning at 8:45 a.m., before concluding on Saturday.
The five qualified Mountaineers ranked in the top 48 of the NCAA East Region in their respective events to earn entry into the meet. Redshirt senior Maggie Drazba (10,000 meters) and junior Danique Bryan (long jump, triple jump) also initially qualified but will not compete due to injury.
"We're all settled into a routine, and everybody appears to be in good spirits and eager to compete," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "The only thing that would make this trip complete would be to have Maggie and Danique with us. We will keep them in our thoughts as we take full advantage of this incredible opportunity. The NCAA Championships are the pinnacle of collegiate athletics; we're very proud to be here."
Live stats are available for the meet at ncaa.com. Additionally, FloTrack will provide a live video stream of the East Prelims, with a subscription, at flotrack.org. Additional information can be found at the event's online headquarters.
WVU opens competition on Thursday night, when Forsey and Hill compete in the 10,000-meter run at 9:40 p.m. Hill, who finished seventh in the event at the 2018 Big 12 Championship on May 11, registered a season-best time of 34:47.73 at the Stanford Invitational on March 30.
Forsey qualified for the event after posting a time of 35:21.96 in her 2018 season debut at the Virginia Challenge on April 21.
On Friday, Finfrock and Gardner will compete in the pole vault at 9:30 a.m., while Cashin races in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 8:40 p.m.
Gardner, WVU's outdoor school-record holder in the pole vault, enters the event ranked No. 6 nationally. The Williamstown, West Virginia, native earned a Mountaineer record-breaking and career-best jump of 4.41 meters (14 feet, 5.5 inches) at the Virginia Challenge. She placed fourth in the event at the Big 12 Championship on May 12 with a jump of 4.24 meters (13 feet, 11 inches), marking the best finish at a conference meet in her collegiate career.
Finfrock qualified for the East Prelims with a career-best jump of 4.02 meters (13 feet, 2.25 inches) from the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic on April 14.
Cashin, who will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, earned a career-best time at the Penn Relays on April 26, when she broke her own school record in the event in 9:59.40. With the performance, she became the first Mountaineer woman to break the 10-minute barrier in the event. Cashin enters the competition ranked No. 12 nationally and coming off a second-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Big 12 Championship on May 12 (10:00.04).
At last year's East Prelims in Lexington, Kentucky, Cashin placed sixth in the steeple with a then-school-record time of 10:01.19, which punched her ticket to the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Shamoya McNeil joined Cashin by qualifying for the NCAA Meet with an 11th-place finish in the triple jump (13.04 meters – 42 feet, 9.5 inches).
Bryan (long jump, triple jump), Drazba (10,000 meters), Gardner (pole vault), and Megan Yuan (3,000-meter steeplechase) also competed at the East Prelims for WVU last year.
Qualifiers out of the East and West Regions who place in the top 12 in their events will advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, from June 6-9, in Eugene, Oregon.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Live Results | Live Stream | Meet Schedule | Start List | Meet Central
Redshirt senior Amy Cashin is set to race in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, while redshirt senior Jillian Forsey and redshirt sophomore Olivia Hill will participate in the women's 10,000-meter run. Senior Sara Finfrock and redshirt junior Madelin Gardner qualified for the women's pole vault competition.
The qualification into the meet is the fourth of Cashin's career, while Forsey and Gardner will compete in the meet for the second time. Finfrock and Hill are set to make their East Prelims debuts.
The three-day regional meet, hosted by the University of South Florida and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, begins Thursday at 8:45 a.m. ET, with running events commencing at 12:30 p.m. Competition at the USF Track & Field Stadium continues Friday beginning at 8:45 a.m., before concluding on Saturday.
The five qualified Mountaineers ranked in the top 48 of the NCAA East Region in their respective events to earn entry into the meet. Redshirt senior Maggie Drazba (10,000 meters) and junior Danique Bryan (long jump, triple jump) also initially qualified but will not compete due to injury.
"We're all settled into a routine, and everybody appears to be in good spirits and eager to compete," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "The only thing that would make this trip complete would be to have Maggie and Danique with us. We will keep them in our thoughts as we take full advantage of this incredible opportunity. The NCAA Championships are the pinnacle of collegiate athletics; we're very proud to be here."
Live stats are available for the meet at ncaa.com. Additionally, FloTrack will provide a live video stream of the East Prelims, with a subscription, at flotrack.org. Additional information can be found at the event's online headquarters.
WVU opens competition on Thursday night, when Forsey and Hill compete in the 10,000-meter run at 9:40 p.m. Hill, who finished seventh in the event at the 2018 Big 12 Championship on May 11, registered a season-best time of 34:47.73 at the Stanford Invitational on March 30.
Forsey qualified for the event after posting a time of 35:21.96 in her 2018 season debut at the Virginia Challenge on April 21.
On Friday, Finfrock and Gardner will compete in the pole vault at 9:30 a.m., while Cashin races in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 8:40 p.m.
Gardner, WVU's outdoor school-record holder in the pole vault, enters the event ranked No. 6 nationally. The Williamstown, West Virginia, native earned a Mountaineer record-breaking and career-best jump of 4.41 meters (14 feet, 5.5 inches) at the Virginia Challenge. She placed fourth in the event at the Big 12 Championship on May 12 with a jump of 4.24 meters (13 feet, 11 inches), marking the best finish at a conference meet in her collegiate career.
Finfrock qualified for the East Prelims with a career-best jump of 4.02 meters (13 feet, 2.25 inches) from the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic on April 14.
Cashin, who will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, earned a career-best time at the Penn Relays on April 26, when she broke her own school record in the event in 9:59.40. With the performance, she became the first Mountaineer woman to break the 10-minute barrier in the event. Cashin enters the competition ranked No. 12 nationally and coming off a second-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Big 12 Championship on May 12 (10:00.04).
At last year's East Prelims in Lexington, Kentucky, Cashin placed sixth in the steeple with a then-school-record time of 10:01.19, which punched her ticket to the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Shamoya McNeil joined Cashin by qualifying for the NCAA Meet with an 11th-place finish in the triple jump (13.04 meters – 42 feet, 9.5 inches).
Bryan (long jump, triple jump), Drazba (10,000 meters), Gardner (pole vault), and Megan Yuan (3,000-meter steeplechase) also competed at the East Prelims for WVU last year.
Qualifiers out of the East and West Regions who place in the top 12 in their events will advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, from June 6-9, in Eugene, Oregon.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
Long Jump/Triple Jump
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Distance
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