LEXINGTON, Ky. – Vanderbilt track and field punched one more ticket to nationals and broke another school record on the final day of the NCAA East First Round.
“Any time you come to this championship meet, it’s an opportunity to really grow,” director of cross country and track and field Althea Thomas said. “We had some amazing things happen that have continued from our entire season and culminated in some qualifying performances to the national championship. But the foundation was in having an identity and having an intention.”
Veronica Fraley secured her spot at nationals in the discus, throwing 58.53 meters to place third in the first round competition.
In the 1,500 meters, Julia Rosenberg turned in a time of 4:15.83 to finish 18th in the quarterfinals and close out her NCAA regional debut.
In her first NCAA first round appearance, Falon Spearman clocked two PRs over the course of the weekend. She was the 12th place finisher in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.16 seconds, resetting her own school record for the second time this meet.
Closing out the weekend for the Dores, Allyria McBride recorded a time of 56.84 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles to finish 13th.
On Friday, freshman Lena Gooden punched her ticket to Oregon in the long jump, while graduate students Fraley and Sarah Omoregie qualified for nationals in the shot put.
“You saw [that foundation] in Lena’s performance in the long jump, where it didn’t matter what seed, you came in as but having the grit and determination to do what you’ve been preparing to do all year,” Thomas said. “She was in the first flight, sat for hours waiting for the next flights to finish, and she prevailed.”
“We also had some really good things with Sarah O. and Veronica qualifying in the shot put in the fashion that they’ve been competing all spring,” Thomas continued. “It was personal best after personal best in the hurdles for Falon. There were great things all around from Santana in the 100 hurdles, to consistent performances from Allyria in the 400 hurdles and Julia in the 1,500 meters.”
The NCAA DI Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be June 5-8 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The full schedule of events and more championship information can be found on NCAA.com.
“Being here, is one of the things that creates a crucible moment for our athletes in their careers, where you have to really endure so you can grow,” Thomas said. “It was a really good meet for Vanderbilt. We qualified three individuals with four total entries and expanded the events in which we qualified. I can’t say enough good things about this meet and about what Vanderbilt will continue to do the rest of the season.”
