Seven Syracuse Orange Track and Field athletes earned their way to the NCAA Championships in Eugene.
Shaylyn Tuite (34:24.98) and Margo Malone (34:37.53) got things started on Thursday evening when the duo finished 6th and 11th respectively in the Women's 10k. Tara Jameson from Iona was the race winner. Tuite advances to her 1st NCAA track championship, while this will mark the 3rd straight year for Malone. In her previous two appearances, Malone finished 19th in 2014, and 7th in 2015 in the 10k.
After the women finished, it was the men's turn at the 10k distance. Syracuse's Colin Bennie (10th in 30:05.59) and Philo Germano (12th in 30:05.84) advanced to Eugene. The men's race was won by Amon Temer of Campbell University in a time of 30:03. Bennie ran in the 5k at Eugene last year, while Germano will be making his 1st NCAA track appearance. Dan Lennon (29th in 30:44) and Kevyn Hoyos (30th in 30:51) also competed in the event for the Orange.
As expected, Freddie Crittenden III cruised to his 3rd straight NCAA Outdoor appearance with a 2nd place finish in the 110m hurdles. Crittenden finished in 13.43 just behind Dondre Echols of South Carolina. David Gilstrap (16th in 13.92) and Richard Floyd (DNF in quarterfinal) had advanced out of the 1st round, ending their seasons with a solid showing at the East Regional.
Adam Palamar continued his outstanding season with an 11th place finish in the 1500 with a time of 3:46.64. Palamar was 2nd in his quarterfinal heat and will head to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the 1st time. Joel Hubbard won his 1st round 1500 heat, but finished 24th on Saturday.
Justyn Knight finished off the meet with a 2nd place finish in the 5000m. Knight's time of 14:06.45 was .01 behind Virginia Tech's Thomas Curtin. Knight will return to Eugene for the 2nd straight year, and will look to improve upon his 6th place finish from last year.
Other competitors for Syracuse at the NCAA East Regional were Shaina Harrison, Tia Thevenin, and Winston Lee. Harrison finished her stellar Syracuse career with a 38th place finish in the women's 100m dash. Thevenin's 1st outdoor season came to an end in the women's 100m hurdles, where she finished 42nd. Lee earned an 18th place finish in the men's 100m with a time of 10.46 in the quarterfinal round.
The NCAA Outdoor Championships will be held June 8-11 at the University of Oregon. Live online coverage will be available on the ESPN networks. Stay tuned to NunesMagician for a full preview of the Syracuse athletes competing in Eugene.