MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Junior Ceili McCabe advanced to the NCAA National Championships, as the West Virginia University track and field team finished competition at the NCAA East Preliminary Round at Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday night.
 
McCabe finished second overall in the 3,000-meter steeplechase quarterfinals in 9:54.41 to earn a spot at the NCAA National Championships in Austin, Texas, from June 7-10.
 
The Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, native earns her third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships in the steeplechase. She tallied All-American honors the last two seasons, with a top finish of third place in 2022.
 
"This has been a very successful season on so many levels," Mountaineer coach Sean Cleary said. "Most of our performances exceed the rankings that we entered the meet with, which is something to be proud of. This group has been incredible for us since the beginning of the year."
 
Redshirt senior Mikaela Lucki and senior Katherine Dowie also raced on the second day of competition. Lucki ran in the 5,000-meter and 1,500-meter quarterfinals, while Dowie ran with McCabe in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
 
Dowie finished in a time of 10:36.14 to finish No. 32 overall.
 
In the 1,500-meter quarterfinals, Lucki placed 22nd in 4:23.58, before finishing 20th in the 5,000-meters after crossing the line in 16:17.67.
 
"We began competing the first week of September, and now nine months later we have eight qualifiers for prelims and a heat winner in Ceili who now qualifies for the NCAA finals. To stay on task for nine months and still be competing at such a high level should have all associated with our program feeling very proud."
 
The 2023 outdoor season continues for McCabe when she races at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Austin, Texas, from June 7-10.
 
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