Samford's Seaman Takes Fifth Place at East Regional, Will Compete at NCAA Championships
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Samford track and field team wrapped up competition in the NCAA First Round in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday morning with the men's and women's steeplechase. Hillary Neal finished 40th in the women's event while Cameron Bean placed 42nd for the men.
College of Charleston's Smith Ties for 25th in High Jump at East Regional
GREENSBORO, N.C. - College of Charleston sophomore Emily Smith (Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern) tied for 25th place in the high jump at the NCAA Track & Field Eastern Preliminary Round on Thursday at the Irwin Bell Track at North Carolina A&T State.
Smith tied her season-best performance of 5'8½", which she set at Clemson's Orange and Purple Meet on May 7. She cleared the same height at the same venue one year earlier, hitting the 5'8½" mark at the NCAA Regionals as a freshman.
The Southern Conference runner-up in the high jump cleared her first two heights with ease. After two misses at the 5'8½" mark, Smith cleared the bar to move on to 5'10" in an attempt to tie her career-best jump. Although she was unable to reach 5'10" she finishes her sophomore year as just the second CofC athlete to qualify for two straight NCAA tournaments.
The top 12 athletes move on to the NCAA National Championships at Oregon on June 9-12. Smith was just 1½" away from qualifying and only 2¾" separated her from the first-place finisher.
Appalachian State's Rebecca Hazeltine Places 29th in High Jump at East Regional
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Appalachian State women's high jump standout Rebecca Hazeltine was in action Friday in the NCAA Preliminary Rounds on the campus of North Carolina A&T.
Hazeltine topped out at a height of 5-6.50, which placed her 29th out of 48 participants taking part in the A&T prelims.
Although she will not advance to the NCAA Championship Rounds slated for June 9-12 in Eugene, Ore., the 2009-10 season has been a success for the Weddington, N.C. junior. Hazeltine earned all-conference honors at both the SoCon Indoor and Outdoor Championships, placing third at the indoor meet in February and second at the outdoor championships in April. Hazeltine also moved into second place in ASU outdoor history with a personal-best leap of 5-9.25 at the North Carolina A&T Twilight Invitational May 16.
Furman's Gilmer Finishes 35th in 1500m at NCAA East Regional
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Furman sophomore Lee Gilmer placed 35th in the 1500m competition with a time of 3:52.23 at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Regional Thursday afternoon at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C.
Gilmer, a native of Mobile, Ala., was chosen the Southern Conference Runner of the Week earlier this season after registering a time of 4:04.40 in the Blue Shoes Elite Mile, which was held in conjunction with the Furman Invitational. He broke the school record in the event, a mark that had stood for 35 years. The time, when converted to the 1500m distance, qualified Gilmer for the NCAA Regional competition.
Thomas Oliver placed 41st in the javelin Friday morning with a toss of 118-10. The event was held at 10 a.m. Friday morning.
On the first day of competition, Michael Seaman qualified for the NCAA Championship in Eugene, Ore., with a fifth place finish in the men's pole vault. His mark of 17-02.75 also broke his previous school record of 17-00.25 set at the Georgia Tech Invitational two weeks ago.
Junior Patrick Wells finished 31st with a vault of 16-02.75.
Seaman will compete in the pole vault at the NCAA Championship, June 10-11. For more information, go to the track and field championship page at www.ncaasports.com.