May 28, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Freshman Rita Jorgensen and senior Valerie Kazmer will look to qualify for the NCAA Track and Field Championships this Friday and Saturday at the Mideast Regional Championships at John McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
“It’s exciting to have Val and Rita compete at the NCAA regionals,” Vanderbilt distance coach Steve Keith said. “They have had excellent seasons and I know they are looking forward to this opportunity.”
Jorgensen will be competing in the 1500 meters, with the prelims scheduled for 3:30 p.m. (CT) on Friday. Kazmer will take part in the steeplechase, set for Saturday at 7:15 p.m. (CT). Both competitors will need to finish in the top five in order to automatically qualify for the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. To be considered for an at-large bid, an individual athlete must finish sixth through 12th.
“This is a great way for Val to close out her Vanderbilt career and on the other side, this is a super experience for Rita as a freshman to see what it takes to get to nationals,” Keith said.
Jorgensen set regional qualifying marks in both the 800 meters and the 1500 meters, but the freshman will only compete in the 1500 at the regionals. Her best time in the 1500 meters came at the Stanford Invitational in early April when she recorded a mark of 4:27.40.
Kazmer also set her regional qualifying mark in the steeplechase at the Stanford Invitational. The senior finished the event with a time of 10:43.92, lowering her previous personal best by nearly 20 seconds.
Complete coverage of the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, as well as live stats can be found at ladybacks.com. A recap of all the action will be available on vucommodores.com.
