Pitt
NCAA Championships
Desmond Palmer Advances to NCAA National Finals in 400mH
6/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
EUGENE, Ore. -- Sophomore Desmond Palmer will run for a national title on Friday evening after he advanced in the semifinals of the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 49.97 at the NCAA National Championship Meet at Hayward Field on the campus of Oregon.
Running in lane eight of heat two, Palmer placed third in his heat and seventh overall, which earned him one of the final two non-automatic qualifying berths into the title race.
"Being in lane eight, I just wanted to get out, stay out and run my race," Palmer said. "I wanted to get to a point where I didn't see anyone until the finish line. A couple of guys caught me, but I was able to run a good time and get one of the final spots."
Palmer did exactly what he wanted to do, running the first two hundred meters out front. UNC's Javonte Lipsey, Florida's Eric Futch and LSU's Quincy Downing caught Palmer at "Bowerman's Corner" (the final curve), but Palmer was able catch Lipsey down the homestretch after Lipsey clipped the final hurdle.
Palmer's national championship race will be on Friday evening at 6 p.m. PST, (9 p.m. EST) and can be seen on ESPN. Palmer, the reigning ACC champion, will be the only representative from the Atlantic Coast Conference in the NCAA finals. Joining him will be:
Michael Stigler -- Kansas
Eric Futch -- Florida
Quincy Downing -- LSU
David Kendziera -- Illinois
Jordin Andrade -- Boise State
Gregory Coleman -- Texas A&M
Jussi Kanervo -- South Carolina
