Sunday, May 27, 2007

Macon, Ga. - As the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Regionals came to an end on Saturday, several Atlantic Sun student athletes made strong campaigns to earn at-large bids to the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif., beginning on June 6.

Campbell's Alicia Valtin turned in her best time ever in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Her school-record setting time of 10:14.63 earned her a sixth place finish in the East Regional and is the best non-automatic qualifiers time in the nation.

Three others also earned top-10 finishes in Gainesville, Fla., including Gardner-Webb's Jake Didion and Jerel Langley, along with Jacksonville's Janel Grooms.

Both Didion and Langley reported ninth place finishes competing in the triple jump (50-4; 15.34m) and the javelin throw (218-10; 66.70m), respectively.

Grooms competed on the track where she turned in an eighth place performance in the 400-meter hurdles with her time of 59.04.

In Columbia, Mo., the women's 1,600-meter relay team from Belmont and the men's 400-meter relay team from ETSU were representing the Atlantic Sun at the Mideast Regional. Belmont's women finished in 15th place, 3:45.78, and ETSU's men finished seventh, 41.28.

Campbell's Sam Tilly and Jacksonville's Natasha Harvey have already reserved a spot at the NCAA Championships, finishing in the top five of the men's and women's long jump, respectively. Others will have to wait until the NCAA announces its at-large selections at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 29. A full list of qualifying competitors can be found on ncaasports.com following the selection.