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Track & Field's Paul Earns Spot to Eugene at NCAA East Regional
5/25/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
TAMPA, Fla. – Senior Carly Paul (Fort Collins, Colo.) placed fourth overall in the high jump to qualify for the NCAA Championship as the Brown track & field teams wrapped up three days of competition on Saturday at the NCAA East Preliminary at USF Track & Field Stadium.
The preliminary rounds are broken down into two regions, East and West. The top 12 finishers of each region will earn a ticket to the NCAA National Championships next month in Eugene, Ore.
Paul punched her ticket to Eugene on Thursday with a personal-best cleared height of 5-10.75, setting a new school record to secure fourth overall out of 46 participants. She also competed in the long jump the same day as she placed 30th overall with a leap of 19-3.5.
"I was really proud of the effort that Carly made to advance to her first national finals," said Tim Springfield, Director of Track & Field. "She was disappointed not to get a bid in the heptathlon, but she came out in the high jump as focused as I've ever seen her. Every jump was spot on. Coach Hunt did a great job preparing her all year."
On Saturday, senior Martin Martinez (Waukegan, Ill.) finished 15th in the 5,000 meters as he crossed at 14:13.42, placing sixth in the second heat to miss an auto-qualification slot by just 1.5 seconds, highlighted by a 4:18 split in the final 1,600 meters.
"Martin ran a great race, and it's very tough to miss advancing by one spot," said Springfield. "He executed extremely well and ran tough. Closing in 4:18 and 60 almost always advances, but not this year. Still, he ended his career on a very strong note."
Also in the field, Zion Lewis (Canton, Ga.) placed 17th in the triple jump as she bested her seed by five spots with a leap of 41-7.75, missing qualification by just four spots. Junior Owen Russell (Attleboro, Mass.) placed 20th in the hammer throw with a toss of 210-8.
Sophomore Zachary Lanigan (Sydney, Australia) finished 29th in the first round of the 800 meters, crossing in a time of 1:49.87. Junior Josie Natrasevschi (Fort Collins, Colo.) was 33rd in the discus with a toss of 155-0.
"We had five returning athletes here, and I know all five can see what they need to do to to take the next step and get to nationals when they come back here in 2019," said Springfield.
Paul will head to the NCAA National Championship on June 6-9 in Eugene, Ore.
Players Mentioned
