JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship East Regional preliminaries and qualifying rounds were held at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida ad Hodgers Stadium. The meet was a gathering of all of the top track & field talents in the eastern region. By the end of the competition, six America East student-athletes rose amongst the best and therefor punched their tickets to Eugene, Oregon; the site of the complete Division I Championships.
Three men qualified to travel out west: Binghamton’s Jesse Garn in the 800-meter, UMBC’s Vincent Rentzsch in the javelin toss, and New Hampshire’s John Prizzi in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Garn won the first of three 800m heats, and finished fifth overall in the national quarterfinal, clocking across the line at 1:47.21. The senior is the third Binghamton male athlete to qualify for the Outdoor Division I Championship. It is the second time this season he will be attending the NCAA cumulative meet; Garn also qualified in the 800m race for the Indoor Track & Field Championship.
In his final throwing attempt, Rentzsch was able to muster out a distance of 69.18 meters, placing him sixth overall in the event. The UMBC junior won the America East Outdoor Championship event with a distance of 70.14 meters.
The New Hampshire Wildcats continue to trend upwards in the long distance events. John Prizzi earned his ticket to Oregon running in the 3,000m steeplechase at a pace of 8:42.04, placing him tenth overall. The senior will be returning to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second straight year. The New Jersey native is the three-time defending America East Champion in the event.
On the women’s side, Binghamton’s Keishorea Armstrong, and the New Hampshire duo of Elinor Purrier and Laura Rose Donegan qualified for the NCAA finals in Eugene.
Armstrong placed sixth overall in the women’s long jump and as a result, became the first Binghamton female athlete to advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The sophomore recorded a distance of 20.5 feet.
The women’s 3,000m steeplechase belonged to the New Hampshire Wildcats. Purrier finished third overall, finishing with a time of 9:57.25. Rose Donegan placed fourth overall in her heat, breaking the tape in 9:59.71, putting her into the second-to-last qualifying spot. This will be Purrier’s second time travelling to the NCAA’s, having competed in the mile run during the indoor season; it will be Rose Donegan’s first trip to the Division I Championship.
Both Armtrong and Purrier won their respective events at the America East Championship at the University at Albany.
The NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships will begin on Wednesday June 10th, and run through the 13th. It will be held at the University of Oregon.
Broadcasting Schedule
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Wednesday
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06/10/2015
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2:00 PM
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Division I Outdoor Track and Field (Men's and Women's) Finals - Day 1
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ESPN3
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Live
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Wednesday
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06/10/2015
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7:00 PM
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Division I Outdoor Track and Field (Men's and Women's) Finals - Day 1
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ESPNU
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Live
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Thursday
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06/11/2015
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1:00 PM
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Division I Outdoor Track and Field (Men's and Women's) Finals - Day 2
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ESPN3
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Live
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Thursday
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06/11/2015
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7:00 PM
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Division I Outdoor Track and Field (Men's and Women's) Finals - Day 2
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ESPNU
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Live
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Friday
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06/12/2015
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7:00 PM
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Division I Outdoor Track and Field (Men's and Women's) Finals - Day 3
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ESPN3
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Live
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Friday
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06/12/2015
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7:30 PM
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Division I Outdoor Track and Field (Men's and Women's) Finals - Day 3
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ESPN
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Live
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Saturday
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06/13/2015
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4:30 PM
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Division I Outdoor Track and Field (Men's and Women's) Finals - Day 4
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ESPN3
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Live
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Saturday
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06/13/2015
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5:00 PM
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Division I Outdoor Track and Field (Men's and Women's) Finals - Day 4
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ESPN2
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Live
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