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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

sports track & field

Friday marks up and down day two for IU at NCAA Prelims

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Day two of the NCAA Prelims was full of ups and downs for the IU track and field teams Thursday in Tampa, Florida.

After day one, in which a number of Hoosiers qualified for the next round of their events and posted personal records, some of IU’s athletes were able to meet expectations on day two, while others fell short.

The men’s team had a successful day as all three of its participants advanced in their events. Sophomore Cooper Williams and senior Daniel Kuhn became IU’s second and third men’s team members to qualify for the NCAA Championships from June 7-9 in Eugene, Oregon, joining sophomore pole vaulter Adam Coulon, who qualified Thursday.

Williams and Kuhn finished seventh and ninth respectively in the men’s 800-meter run. Williams jumped out in the front of the pack early and led the way for most of the first lap, while Kuhn patiently stayed back. Mississippi State freshman Marco Arop and Penn State junior Isaiah Harris would eventually gain control of the first two spots, but Williams was able to edge Mississippi State junior Dejon Devroe at the finish line to secure the automatic qualifying spot in the top three of the heat with a time of 1:48.09.

Kuhn was unable to make a true final kick after getting stuck behind Williams and Devroe, but still had a good enough time of 1:48.26 to qualify for the Championships.

Meanwhile, sophomore William Session advanced past the first round of trials in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, after finishing third overall and winning his heat with a time of 13.62.

The quarterfinals of that race will take place Saturday at 1:35 p.m.

On the women’s side, the Hoosiers suffered a bit of heartbreak on day two. 

In the 800-meter run, junior Kelsey Harris did not qualify for the NCAA Championships after posting a time of 2:07.00. It was considerably slower than Harris’ first-round time of 2:03.89 on Thursday that put her ranked fourth heading into the quarterfinals.

Freshman Zykeria Williams also fell just short of advancing in the women’s 100-meter hurdles. Despite posting a new personal-record time of 13:37, Williams fell three spots short of the quarterfinals in 27th place.

Senior Rachel Mather was also eliminated from competition in the women’s pole vault, finishing tied 32nd overall with a top mark of 3.78-meters. 

The final day of the NCAA Prelims will take place tomorrow. IU’s first competitor will be junior Nycia Ford, who will be competing in the women’s hammer throw at 8:45 a.m.

Murphy Wheeler

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