Sophomore Victoria Voronko’s dazzling performance in the 3,000-meter steeplechase highlighted the Eastern Michigan University men’s and women’s track and field performances at the National Collegiate Athletic Association East Regional in Greensboro, N.C., this past weekend.
Voronko qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships finishing ninth in 10 minutes 8.10seconds, which broke her own school record of 10:15.74.
In the 100-meter hurdle finals, freshman Vanessa Clerveaux finished 20th with a time of 13.53. In order to have qualified the nationals, Clervreaux would have had to finish in the top-12.
Senior Asia Rawls closed out her EMU career by placing 30th in the preliminaries of the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 59.51, but came up 0.47 seconds short of qualifying for the quarterfinals.
In the hammer throw, sophomore Lydia Gomez-Diaz finished 18th with a toss of 182-feet 3-inches (55.55 meters). Gomez-Diaz fell six spots short of qualifying for the nationals.
Senior Tatijana Jacobson’s collegiate career came to an end as she placed 37th in the high jump with a leap of 5-feet 5.75-inches (1.67 meters).
When asked about whether she was disappointed with her finish, Jacobson was direct.
“Yeah a little bit. Making it to Regionals was an awesome experience and I would have loved to do better, but I have been having [some] problems that made it a little hard,” she said.
In the 1,500-meter run, junior Grzegorz Kalinowskifinished one place short of making the quarterfinals in 25thwith a time of 3:45.59.
Sophomore Darrell Butler finished 33rd in the 400-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line with a time of 52.54seconds, but fell nine places short of making for the quarterfinals.
Butler also competed in the 110-meter hurdle preliminaries and finished 40th. No time was posted in the final results.
Redshirt freshman Daryl Smith placed 41st in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:26.75.
Junior Max Babits failed to clear the height in his three attempts in the pole vault, but was able to score on the fourth attempt with a leap of 5.15 meters (16-feet 10.75-inches) even though he did not place in the event.
In the 4×100 meter relay, the quartet of sophomore Cameron Bolton, senior Jay Saunders, junior Jay Scott, and freshman Matthew Williams were unable to finish the race, ending hopes of any of the men’s team members of making it to the nationals.
When asked about how much she will miss the most about the team, Jacobson responded by mentioning her teammates.
“Definitely the girls, they have been awesome this year. Their work ethic has really enhanced the team as a whole. Coach Langley too, he has gone above and beyond to help push us.”
Regional Note:
13 Eagles (seven men & six women) represented the Eagles over the three days of the regionals.
Looking Ahead:
The final event of EMU’s season will be the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., from June 5-8.
Voronko is the lone representative for the Eagles and will be competing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Coverage can be seen online on WatchESPN. Times are TBA.
Social Media:
Follow Eugene Evans on Twitter: @EasternEchoGeno.
