North Carolina State University Athletics
NCAA East Preliminary Athletes to Watch: Saturday
5/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The NC State track and field team heads into the final day of the NCAA East Preliminary with another chance to send several athletes to the NCAA Championships. The Wolfpack will be represented in five events on the final day.
100 hurdles:
Alexis Perry is aiming to book her spot at the NCAA Championships in the 100m hurdles. Perry recorded a new PR of 13.16 in Friday's first round, as she finished third in her heat and 11th overall to automatically qualify for the quarterfinals. Perry will run in the competitive second heat, which features three athletes with top-7 marks.
200m:
Paisley Simmons was the fifth-athlete to qualify based on time in the first round of the 200m dash. She crossed the finish line in 23.67 for fourth in her heat and 23rd overall. Simmons will run in the third heat.
1,500m:
Graham Crawford is lining up in the quarterfinals of the 1,500m. Crawford made a big move in the home stretch of his first-round race to ensure his spot in the quarterfinals. He crossed the finish line in 3:45.33 to take second in his heat a fourth overall.
A trip to the NCAA Championships is on the line. Crawford must finish within the top five of his heat or have one of the next two fastest times to advance.
5,000m:
A host of distance runners will compete in the final event of the competition for the Wolfpack. On the men's side Crawford, Jacob Thomson and Sebastian Hanson will all race in the 5,000m. Thomson and Crawford will race in the first heat, while Hanson will run in the second heat.
Crawford (13:52.05) and Thomson (13:52.71) hold the ninth and tenth seeds, respectively, while Hanson enters as the competition's 41st seed with a mark of 14:10.56.
On the women's side, Erika Kemp, Samantha George and Joanna Thompson will line up in the 5,000m. George leads the group with the sixth-highest mark in the region. She is followed by Kemp, who holds the region's 12th-best time, and Joanna Thompson rounds out the group at 22nd with a time a time of 16:08.52.
The group hit their qualifying marks at the Raleigh Relays, where they dominated the race on their home track. All three runners earned top-five finishes, and George's mark was good for the then nation-leading time of 15:51.74.
Thompson has already earned a spot at the NCAA Championships. She took 10th in the 10,000m on Thursday night after recovering from a fall deep into the race.
