Friday, May 25, 2007

Gainesville, Fla. – Several A-Sun athletes made an appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Regional in Gainesville, Fla., with Campbell’s Sam Tilly headlining the list after he garnered a first place finish in the long jump on Friday.

Tilly bested a field of 23 with his jump of 24-8 1/4 (7.52m). His best leap was just an inch further than North Carolina State’s Dexter Adams and qualifies him to compete at the NCAA Championships on June 6-9 in Sacramento, Calif.

Jacksonville’s Natasha Harvey also competed in the long jump, garnering a third place finish on the women’s side with her leap of 20 feet (6.40m), just an inch and a half behind Miami’s Amy Seward who won with her jump of 21-1 1/2.

In the prelims of the 400-meter hurdles, Jacksonville’s Janel Grooms earned a spot in the finals after recording the sixth fastest time of the day. Grooms will compete in the finals at 7:20 p.m. (ET) on Saturday in Gainesville.

Gardner-Webb’s Elliott Haynie also competed in regional action on Friday. Haynie finished 11th in the pole vault, clearing 16-7 1/4 (5.06m).

Day 2 action of the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Regional is set to begin at Noon on Saturday with the women’s hammer throw. For complete coverage of the event, visit the NCAA East Regional homepage at http://www.gatorzone.com/trackfield/tour/ncaa/.