Cashin, Gardner Punch Tickets to Eugene

Friday, May 25

Tampa, Fla.

9:30 a.m.

West Virginia University

NCAA East Preliminary Round

May 25, 2018 10:29 PM | Track & Field

By: Joe Mitchin

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Three members of the West Virginia University track and field team competed on the second day of the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Round on Friday in Tampa, Florida, as redshirt senior Amy Cashin and redshirt junior Madelin Gardner qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Results

Cashin finished 11th overall in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase quarterfinals at the USF Track & Field Stadium, winning her heat in a time of 10:04.19, while Gardner jumped 4.18 meters (13 feet, 8.5 inches) to finish 12th in the women's pole vault first round to punch their tickets to the national meet.

The top-12 finishers in the pole vault and the top-three finishers in each of the 3,000-meter steeplechase's three heats, plus the next three fastest times, qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, from June 6-9, in Eugene, Oregon.

Senior Sara Finfrock also competed for the Mountaineers on Friday, tying for 32nd in the pole vault competition with a jump of 3.78 meters (12 feet, 4.75 inches).

"Today was a very special day at the track," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "Both Amy and Maddie brought great experience to this meet and emerged with tickets to the NCAA Finals. Maddie showed great poise after a few crucial misses early in the competition. Her maturity and belief was very evident in nailing 4.18 (meters).

"Amy was fabulous tonight. After watching the first two heats run very hard, it was clear that Amy needed to be in the top three to advance. Sitting in perfect position with a lap to go, she found another gear as she ran away from the field to secure the win. At this point of the season, it's all about finding a way to qualify. Both did just that."

With the performance, Cashin qualified for her second consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championships meet and the third overall national meet of her collegiate career. Last year, the Werribee, Victoria, Australia, native placed sixth at the East Prelims (10:01.19) before finishing 19th in the semifinal round (10:11.86) in Eugene to earn All-America Third Team accolades.

For Gardner, the qualification into the NCAA Championships is the first of her outdoor career and second overall. The Williamstown, West Virginia, native competed at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, last March, placing ninth in the women's pole vault (4.31 meters – 14 feet, 1.75 inches) to claim All-America Second Team honors. Cashin joined Gardner at the meet, finishing ninth in the women's mile (4:43.67) to also gain All-America Second Team distinction.

Cashin and Gardner's efforts marks the second consecutive year in which WVU will send a pair of athletes to Eugene. Along with Cashin, Shamoya McNeil qualified for the national meet in 2017, finishing 22nd in the women's triple jump (12.70 meters – 41 feet, 8 inches) to earn All-America Third Team honors.

Friday was Cashin's fourth career appearance at the East Prelims. Gardner competed for the second consecutive year, while Finfrock made her regional-meet debut.

On Thursday, two Mountaineers opened competition at the East Prelims, as redshirt senior Jillian Forsey and redshirt sophomore Olivia Hill ran in the women's 10,000-meter run semifinals. Hill earned a 29th-place finish in 35:51.37, while Forsey took 40th in 36:48.22.

"Overall, the weekend was a big success on numerous levels," Cleary said. "The two that had the best shots of qualifying for Eugene did that, and the rest of the group exceeded their rankings coming into the meet. What more could we ask?"

The five qualified Mountaineers ranked in the top 48 of the NCAA East Region in their respective events to earn entry into this week's meet.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.