NC State
NCAA Regionals
Pack Sends Four More to NCAA Championships
5/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The NC State track and field team qualified four more athletes for the NCAA Championships, as it wrapped up the final day of the NCAA East Preliminaries. Alexis Perry, Graham Crawford, Erika Kemp and Jacob Thomson all qualified in their respective events.
The Wolfpack concludes the competition with eight NCAA qualifiers.
1,500:
Crawford once again came from behind to clinch a top-three place in his heat and qualify for the next round of competition. Crawford crossed the finish line in 3:45.51 to place third in his heat and 10th overall, booking his spot at the NCAA Championships.
Once again, Crawford spent the large majority of the race at the back of the race. As the group began their kick with about 200m to go, he remained near the back, but worked his way to the outside lane. In the final 100m, Crawford made his move, jumping from ninth to third during the final stretch.
He crossed the finish line in the middle of a tight group. Only one-tenth of a second separated the second through fifth places in the heat.
This is his first qualification for the NCAA Championships.
100m hurdles:
After a disappointing first day of competition, Perry found redemption in the hurdles, booking her spot in the NCAA Championships with a third-place finish in her heat. Perry crossed the finish line in 13.16 to tie her PR that she set in Friday's first round, and finish 8th overall.
This is the junior's second NCAA Championships qualification during the 2015 calendar year, and her first for the outdoor season. The Durham, N.C., native qualified in the long jump for the 2015 Indoor Championships and earned second-team All-America honors.
200m:
Paisley Simmons finished 23rd in the 200m dash with a mark of 23.78.
5,000m:
Kemp opened up the 5,000m action for the Pack, earning her first career qualification for the NCAA Championships. She placed sixth in her heat with a time of 16:05.66.
Kemp battled between the fourth and sixth places for the majority of the race. However, Dana Giordiano of Dartmouth made a big move in the final lap to pull away for fifth. Kemp's final sprint down the home stretch proved to be the difference as she was the fastest non-automatic qualifier between the two heats.
Samantha George finished 13th in her heat and 27 overall, crossing the finish line in 16.40.91, while Joanna Thompson came in 25th with a time of 16:39.15.
On the men's side, Thomson finished fourth in his heat and 11th overall, crossing the finish line in 14:02.62. Thomson stayed at the front of the pack for most of the race, and led for several laps.
He qualifies for the NCAA Outdoor Championships on his first attempt.
Sebastian Hanson and Crawford rounded out the men's side, crossing the finish line in 14:39.30 and 15:40.51, respectively.
Up Next:
The Wolfpack will send eight athletes to Eugene, Ore. for the NCAA Championships. This is the highest number of participants since the Pack qualified eight in 2013.
