Track and Field Set for NCAA East Preliminary Meet
5/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
MEET NOTES | SCHEDULE OF EVENTS | ENTRY LIST: WOMEN | ENTRY LIST: MEN | LIVE RESULTS
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- With berths to the National Championship Meet on the line, members of the University of Pittsburgh track and field team are set to compete in the 2015 NCAA East Preliminary Meet this weekend at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida.
The meet is scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 28, at Noon and will conclude on Saturday, May 30, at 9:45 p.m.
The East Prelims feature the top 48 athletes in each individual event, along with the top 24 relay teams from all schools east of the Mississippi. The top 12 athletes in each event will advance to the NCAA National Championship Meet in Eugene, Oregon, in two weeks. The West Regional has the same format and will run simultaneously at the University of Texas.
The Panthers have 11 athletes competing this weekend, highlighted by ACC champion Desmond Palmer in the 400 meter hurdles. Palmer has the East Region's second best time this season and the nation's third fastest after the sophomore posted a school record time of 49.41 when he won the ACC title two weeks ago in Tallahassee.
If Palmer takes care of business in Jacksonville, he will be one of the favorites to contend for a national title in two weeks out in Eugene.
Palmer will also be running the 4x400 meter relay as Pitt aims to make it back to the National Championship Meet for a third consecutive season in the 4x4. Joined by Brylan Slay, Christopher Tate and Donnell Taylor, Palmer and the Panthers ran a season-best time of 3:07.35 at ACCs and finished third overall which earned them Second Team All-ACC honors. They are ranked 14th heading into this weekend's meet.
Coming off a personal-best time of 47.23 in the 400 meter dash, Tate grabbed the 48th and final spot in the open 400 meter dash.
After a third place finish in the javelin at the conference meet, sophomore Ethan Shalaway will look for a spot in the championship meet. Shalaway enters the competition ranked 20th in the East Region.
Also competing on the men's side is junior Imani Brown in the triple jump and senior Andrew Wells in the hammer throw and discus.
Highlighting the women's side will be junior Evann Thompson in the 400 meter hurdles. Thompson is coming off a second place finish at the ACC Championship Meet as she ran a season-best time of 57.33, which was the second fastest time of her career. She is seeded eighth overall and will look to make her way back to Eugene as she did last year.
Freshman Laila Ismail will join Thompson in the 400 meter hurdles after running a lifetime best 59.39 in Tallahassee. Ismail's time was good for 43rd which punched her ticket to the East Prelims.
Senior Taylor Slaney is aiming for her first ever NCAA championship meet as the javelin school record holder is coming off a third place finish at ACCs. Slaney is ranked 29th prior to competition. Rounding out the Pitt efforts will be senior Haley Springman in the hammer throw whose distance of 56.26m earned the 48th and final spot this weekend.
Live results for the meet are available by clicking here. Fan can also receive updates by following @PittTFandXC on Twitter and Instagram.