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Jacksonville, Fla.
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NCAA East Preliminary
Pitt Concludes NCAA East Prelims On Saturday
5/26/2019 3:54:00 PM | Track & Field
JACKSONVILLE, FL – The University of Pittsburgh track and field team wrapped up the 2019 NCAA East Preliminary Round on Saturday at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, FL. The Panthers closed out the competition with one student-athlete qualifying for the 2019 NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas.
"It was great having such a big presence at the first round of the NCAA Championships," said head coach Alonzo Webb. "All but two, Nate Sloan and Grant Jones, of our 20 student-athletes that qualified will have the opportunity to return next year with a better understanding of what to expect and a heightened sense of urgency to make it to the NCAA Championships finals."
Pitt nearly saw a second freshman punch her ticket to Austin in the 100m hurdles on Saturday afternoon as Eddita Pessima ran the best race of her collegiate career in the quarterfinal round. The freshman posted the second fastest time in program history as she crossed the finish line in 13.31 seconds but was beat by .01 seconds for the 12th spot and a place in the Outdoor Championships. The time posted by Pessima was the fastest time for a Panther since 1994 when Allison Williams set the school record in the event, finishing in 13.12 seconds.
The women's 4x400m relay quartet of Sydni Townsend, Flora Ahiarakwe, Nina Crawford and Nikki Scherer closed out their strong season with a season-best time in the event as they crossed the finish line in 3:37.83, the seventh fastest time in the event in program history. Scherer ran a great anchor leg in the second heat in the event to secure the sixth place finish in the strong heat that featured two of the top four times in the event.
Sophomore Greg Lauray saw his successful campaign come to an end in the high jump on Saturday afternoon as he successfully cleared 2.06m, 2.11m and 2.16m but failed to convert at 2.19m which would've qualified him for nationals. Lauray closes out his second season with a Penn Relays title and a new school record in the event, 2.20m.
Freshman Sydni Townsend will be the Panthers lone representative at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas in two weeks as she qualified in the 400m hurdles in her first appearance in the East Prelims. Townsend becomes the first Panther in two seasons to earn a spot in the Outdoor Championship meet after clocking a personal best time of 57.86 seconds, the fourth fastest in program history, in the quarterfinal round in Jacksonville, FL.
"I am extremely happy for Sydni Townsend automatically qualifying as a freshman and running a huge personal best of 57.86 in the process in the 400 meter hurdles," stated Webb.
The 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships will be held in Austin, Texas at Mike A. Meyers Stadium from June 5-8.
"From the group that qualified, 13 of them were either freshman or sophomores that will help us continue our growth as a team and motivate more of their teammates to achieve the same level as we continue to get better," explained Webb. "We are in the process of positioning ourselves to compete for ACC titles and post season success with the foundation laid this season."
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
"It was great having such a big presence at the first round of the NCAA Championships," said head coach Alonzo Webb. "All but two, Nate Sloan and Grant Jones, of our 20 student-athletes that qualified will have the opportunity to return next year with a better understanding of what to expect and a heightened sense of urgency to make it to the NCAA Championships finals."
Pitt nearly saw a second freshman punch her ticket to Austin in the 100m hurdles on Saturday afternoon as Eddita Pessima ran the best race of her collegiate career in the quarterfinal round. The freshman posted the second fastest time in program history as she crossed the finish line in 13.31 seconds but was beat by .01 seconds for the 12th spot and a place in the Outdoor Championships. The time posted by Pessima was the fastest time for a Panther since 1994 when Allison Williams set the school record in the event, finishing in 13.12 seconds.
The women's 4x400m relay quartet of Sydni Townsend, Flora Ahiarakwe, Nina Crawford and Nikki Scherer closed out their strong season with a season-best time in the event as they crossed the finish line in 3:37.83, the seventh fastest time in the event in program history. Scherer ran a great anchor leg in the second heat in the event to secure the sixth place finish in the strong heat that featured two of the top four times in the event.
Sophomore Greg Lauray saw his successful campaign come to an end in the high jump on Saturday afternoon as he successfully cleared 2.06m, 2.11m and 2.16m but failed to convert at 2.19m which would've qualified him for nationals. Lauray closes out his second season with a Penn Relays title and a new school record in the event, 2.20m.
Freshman Sydni Townsend will be the Panthers lone representative at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas in two weeks as she qualified in the 400m hurdles in her first appearance in the East Prelims. Townsend becomes the first Panther in two seasons to earn a spot in the Outdoor Championship meet after clocking a personal best time of 57.86 seconds, the fourth fastest in program history, in the quarterfinal round in Jacksonville, FL.
"I am extremely happy for Sydni Townsend automatically qualifying as a freshman and running a huge personal best of 57.86 in the process in the 400 meter hurdles," stated Webb.
The 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships will be held in Austin, Texas at Mike A. Meyers Stadium from June 5-8.
"From the group that qualified, 13 of them were either freshman or sophomores that will help us continue our growth as a team and motivate more of their teammates to achieve the same level as we continue to get better," explained Webb. "We are in the process of positioning ourselves to compete for ACC titles and post season success with the foundation laid this season."
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Track & Field
Throws
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Jumps
/ Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
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