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The William and Mary track and field programs will send five athletes to the NCAA Track and Field Championships, beginning next weekend (May 24-26) with the East Preliminaries at the University of North Florida, in Jacksonville, Fla. The country is split roughly at the Mississippi River, with the top 48 athletes declared in each event and in each region advancing to either the West or East Preliminaries. To reach the NCAA Finals in Des Moines, athletes must place in the top-12 of their event.
W&M will be represented in the women's championship by sophomore Elaina Balouris (Allison Park, Pa.), who made the NCAA field for the second time in as many years. Next week, Balouris will be seeded 14th in the 10,000m run, courtesy of her 33:56.26 performance from the Mt. SAC Relays. Last year, she was seeded 19th at 5,000m, and improved to finish 18th overall. The 12th seed in the 10,000m is 33:53.83, and 2011's 12th-place time was 33:56.25.
On the men's side, the Tribe will have four athletes aiming for a spot at the NCAA Finals. In the 1,500m run, senior Chris Tyson (Arlington, Va.) earned his first NCAA bid with his career-best 3:43.12 from the Virginia Challenge last weekend. Tyson is the 15th-seed in the race, which will have two rounds of competition at the East Preliminaries. Last year's 12th-place time and the final spot at the NCAA Finals was won in 3:49.74.
In the 10,000m, both Josh Hardin (Sterling, Va.) and Alex McGrath (Marlborough, N.H.) will step to the line for the second year in a row. Hardin has run 29:28.07 this spring, and is seeded 20th, while McGrath is 42nd at 29:51.31. In 2011, former Tribe All-American Jon Grey '11 was the 12th-place finisher in 29:25.03, and went on to place 15th overall at the NCAA Finals.
The final member of the men's track and field program to compete next weekend will be senior thrower Brandon Heroux (Westfield, N.J.), who is seeded 11th in the javelin at 71.85m (235-9). This is Heroux's third NCAA qualification, after he reached the final site as a freshman and placed 18th overall, and was 13th in the East Prelims in 2010. Last year's 12th-place throw was 68.14m (223-6.5), a distance that he also already reached nine times in his career.
Overall, 34 athletes from the Colonial Athletic Association declared for the NCAA Championships and were accepted into the East Region. W&M's five entrants is the second-most among the nine schools sending any athletes.
W&M will be represented in the women's championship by sophomore Elaina Balouris (Allison Park, Pa.), who made the NCAA field for the second time in as many years. Next week, Balouris will be seeded 14th in the 10,000m run, courtesy of her 33:56.26 performance from the Mt. SAC Relays. Last year, she was seeded 19th at 5,000m, and improved to finish 18th overall. The 12th seed in the 10,000m is 33:53.83, and 2011's 12th-place time was 33:56.25.
On the men's side, the Tribe will have four athletes aiming for a spot at the NCAA Finals. In the 1,500m run, senior Chris Tyson (Arlington, Va.) earned his first NCAA bid with his career-best 3:43.12 from the Virginia Challenge last weekend. Tyson is the 15th-seed in the race, which will have two rounds of competition at the East Preliminaries. Last year's 12th-place time and the final spot at the NCAA Finals was won in 3:49.74.
In the 10,000m, both Josh Hardin (Sterling, Va.) and Alex McGrath (Marlborough, N.H.) will step to the line for the second year in a row. Hardin has run 29:28.07 this spring, and is seeded 20th, while McGrath is 42nd at 29:51.31. In 2011, former Tribe All-American Jon Grey '11 was the 12th-place finisher in 29:25.03, and went on to place 15th overall at the NCAA Finals.
The final member of the men's track and field program to compete next weekend will be senior thrower Brandon Heroux (Westfield, N.J.), who is seeded 11th in the javelin at 71.85m (235-9). This is Heroux's third NCAA qualification, after he reached the final site as a freshman and placed 18th overall, and was 13th in the East Prelims in 2010. Last year's 12th-place throw was 68.14m (223-6.5), a distance that he also already reached nine times in his career.
Overall, 34 athletes from the Colonial Athletic Association declared for the NCAA Championships and were accepted into the East Region. W&M's five entrants is the second-most among the nine schools sending any athletes.
