Three America East track & field athletes are scheduled to compete in their respective events' final round on Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Additionally, Boston University's Tahari James will compete for the first time at the meet in the women's triple jump qualifying round.
University at Albany's Luke Schoen, Ricardo Estremera and Joe Greene all advanced to the final round of their events, with the later two athletes' performances to be televised live tonight on CBS College Sports. Television coverage will span final and semifinal events between 7-10 p.m. EST.
Schoen, an indoor and outdoor All-American already, advanced in the pole vault and will compete for a national title today at 4:45 p.m. EST. The Great Dane jumped 5.25 meters (17-2.75) in the first flight to advance, and is seeded in the top half of the 16-person final round.
Estremera, a first-time NCAA competitor in the 3000 meter Steeplechase, grabbed the final qualifying spot for the finals in his semifinal run late Wednesday night which he ran in 8:48.72. The time set a new school and personal best for Estremera, and beat out both the 15th and 16th place overall finishers from Nebraska and Wyoming by under a second. The Steeplechase final is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. EST.
Greene finished third in his 400 meter hurdles semifinal heat on Thursday with a time of 50.14, qualifying him automatically for the finals to take place Friday at 9:05 p.m. EST. The senior was an outdoor All-American in the same event in 2007 and has faced many of his final round competitors already, as five of the nine finalists also ran in the NCAA East Regionals just two weeks ago.
James will start the day for the America East athletes, getting her first opportunity of the meet to regain her All-American status in the triple jump she earned in both the 2008 indoor and outdoor seasons. Her qualifying event will begin at 4 p.m. EST.