13 Syracuse Track athletes head to NCAA Regionals

The NCAA released the entries for the two Outdoor Track & Field Regional Qualifiers yesterday and 13 Syracuse Orange athletes made the field. 48 athletes were selected for each event and next week the top 8 in each event in Lexington, Kentucky will advance to the NCAA Championships next month in Eugene, Oregon.

Justyn Knight leads the way as he enters the meet as the top seed in the 5k. Knight will be looking to make his 3rd straight trip to Eugene and with the fastest time in the country this season, he’s a strong favorite to do so. I don’t think we’ll see any records next week as the goal is to run fast enough to qualify.

Freddie Crittenden III is tied for the 2nd seed in the 110m hurdles. Crittenden will battle NCAA Indoor Champ Grant Holloway from Florida and top seed Chad Zallow of Youngstown St. These three are the top in the country so look for a real close competition.

Adam Palamar will be the 8th seed in the 1500m. The senior will be looking to use his experience in big meets to once again qualify for the NCAA Championships. Palamar has a habit of remaining patient on the rail in an event that typically comes down to the final 200 meters.

Freshman Aidan Tooker will compete in the 3000m steeplechase. Tooker’s fastest time is about 7 seconds behind the 8th seed, so he’s not far from that qualifying position if he can continue to build on last week’s 2nd-place ACC finish.

Another Orange runner looking to build off a 2nd-place ACC finish is Philo Germano. Along with Colin Bennie, Germano will enter the 10k hoping to repeat last year’s performance and return to Eugene.

For the Syracuse women, Paige Stoner and Kadejhia Sellers head into Lexington as the best hopes for an Orange qualifier. Stoner has the 9th-fastest 3000m steeplechase time and she’ll be joined in the event by Sydney Leiher, who enters with the 35th-fastest time.

Sellers is the 17th seed in the 400m, but she’s only 3 tenths of a second from the 8th seed. She’s had a very strong 2017 and as a sophomore has an opportuntity to be the 1st Syracuse woman to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in this event.

Tia Thevenin garnered the 23rd seed in the women’s 100m hurdles. She’s joined by Danielle Delgado, who will be the 46th seed in the event. Delgado is also entered in the 400m hurdles where she is the 23rd seed. She’ll be looking to be the 1st Orange women since Deniece Bell in 1998.

Madeleine Davison will compete in the 5k. She has the 41st- fastest time in the field, but the experience will benefit the first-year runner as she will be a big part of the Orange distance squad the next three years. Shannon Malone will be in the 10k and though she has the 43rd-fastest time in the field, she will look to head to Eugene and match her sister Margo’s accomplishment. With multiple athletes entered in both the 5 and 10k, it should result in slower times and opportunities for these athletes to be in the hunt.

The schedule for the meet is available here. Good luck to all 13 of the Syracuse athletes competing next week as they all look to book a trip to Eugene.