Friday, May 27, 2011

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Four more A-Sun competitors advanced in their events during the second day of the NCAA East Preliminary meet hosted by Indiana University at Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex.

Two UNF standouts punched their ticket to the National Championships. Ecaterina Gheorghiu won her heat in the 3000-meter steeplechase to reach the semifinals of that event while freshman Brianna Frazier qualified for the semifinals of the 400-meter dash to be held at the NCAA National Championships. Campbell’s Adoniss Jones and Kennesaw State’s Kendall Parks moved on to the quarterfinals of the 110-meter hurdles scheduled for 7:20pm Saturday night.

Gheorghiu crushed her own school record in the steeplechase with a 10:10.35 to win the first heat by nearly a second. Frazier finished third in the second heat with a time of 53.19 to automatically advance to the semis. The freshman’s mark shattered her previous school record of 53.78 established earlier this year.

Campbell’s Jones qualified 16th overall, automatically reaching the quarterfinals after finishing third in the fourth heat with a time of 14.25. Kennesaw State’s Parks advanced on the strength of with a 14.22 mark, the fastest time of an individual who did not automatically qualify for the quarterfinals be finishing in the top-3 of their heat.

Other student-athletes competing on the second day of the preliminaries but not advancing included Belmont’s Joe Frye (Hammer Throw | 14th | 60.95m), ETSU’s Joshua James (110-meter hurdles | 29th | 14.45), Jacksonville’s Ronnisha Hall (Shot Put | 27th | 14.97m), Danielle Davenport (400-meter dash | 18th | 54.66), Bienna Freeman (800-meter run | 21st | 2:08.94), Unique Singleton (400-meter dash | 19th | 54.67) and Stacey Young (100-meter hurdlers | 39th | 14.10).

Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa will host the NCAA National Championships on June 8-11.