Charlotte Posts NCAA Regional and Olympic Trial B Qualifying Times in First Day of Weekend Competition
April 19, 2008
Charlotte, N.C. - The Charlotte 49ers, embarking on the busiest weekend in program history with nearly 100 student-athletes competing at four separate meets Friday through Sunday, posted a slew of strong performances in their first day of competition. Leading the way at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays, senior steeplechase standout Tsehaye Dagnachew ran a school record and Olympic Trials B qualifying time of 10:10.53, improving her national ranking and NCAA Regional qualifying performance.
"Hopefully we can keep the ball rolling into tomorrow as we had a tremendous day with success at all four meets," head coach Bob Olesen said.
Dagnachew finished 11th in the invitational section of the event, posting the second fastest collegiate time in a group of only three college-level athletes mixed with post-collegiates and professionals. With the time, she will continue to move up in the national rankings, which will be available Sunday. Dagnachew is currently ranked sixth in the region and 19th in the nation.
At North Carolina A&T, Pat Springs won the long jump with a school record 20'10.75" (6.37m) leap, improving her regional qualifying performance. Joining her on the men's side, Tavaris Leak posted a lifetime best--improving by over a foot--in the long jump, going 24'4" (7.42m) for the top collegiate finish (second overall) and regional qualifier. On the track, James Savoy ran a lifetime best in the 400m hurdles at 54.13.
At Princeton, Adu Dentamo easily improved his NCAA regional qualifier in the 3000m steeplechase with a school-record time of 8:58.41, finishing second in the event. Aja Jackson ran a season-best 800m, taking the event title with a qualifying time of 2:08.44, while Dakota Lowery and Aaron Kauffman also turned in season-best performances in the 1500m (3:57.19) and 800m (1:53.25), respectively. Freshman Amanda Goetschius ran a lifetime best in the 5000m, crossing the line in 16:53.02.
|
|
 |
Charlotte student-athletes will continue to compete through the weekend, adding the Davidson Invitational to the list of competition sites. Complete results will be available at charlotte49ers.com following the completion of each meet.
