Tulane University
NCAA East Preliminary Round
Outdoor Track & Field Qualifies Three More to NCAA National Championships
May 26, 2017 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field, Track & Field
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tulane will be represented by five individuals at the NCAA National Championships for the first time in school history, as Friday competition at the NCAA East Regional wrapped up with the addition of three track athletes to the Green Wave's nationals qualifiers. Jessica Duckett, Raymond Kibet and Emmanuel Rotich all posted qualifying times in their respective events on day two at the University of Kentucky Track & Field Complex in Lexington.
QUOTE
"Today was a story about our youth and how talented these young athletes are because this is a challenging round to advance through. Kibet ran like a seasoned veteran even though he's only in his first year. Duckett showed maturity, development and competitiveness on her part, taking advantage of her quarterfinals appearance and advancing to the national meet. Last but certainly not least, Rotich ran very patiently and tactically for a massive new lifetime best. We're having a great meet and we're focused on finishing strong tomorrow."
--Director of track & field Eric Peterson
HIGHLIGHTS FROM DAY TWO OF THE NCAA EAST REGIONAL
Freshman Raymond Kibet started Tulane off strong in the quarterfinals of the men's 400m dash, shattering his previous personal best and breaking his own school record in the event on a time of 45.21. His sixth place overall finish landed him well within the qualifying times for the national meet, securing a trip to Eugene in just his first season with the Green Wave and shaving nearly half a second off of his previous time.
After advancing past the preliminary rounds in an event for the first time in her college career, sophomore Jessica Duckett punched her ticket to the national meet in the 400m hurdles, running her second-fastest time of the year in 58.13. Her 12th place finish was an improvement of ten spots after finishing at No. 22 on Thursday evening. On the day, the sophomore would also advance to her second quarterfinal of the meet, as Duckett will run her fourth race of the weekend in Saturday's 100m hurdles second round.
Sophomore Emmanuel Rotich closed out the evening with a national championship qualifying mark of his own, running a huge personal best in the men's 3,000m steeplechase in just 8:36.40, just over a second short of a school record. Rotich's time was good for a third place overall finish, earning him the third and final automatic qualifying spot.
UP NEXT
Tulane will wrap up the NCAA East Regional on Saturday evening, as Taylor Potts opens up day three in the shot put. Duckett and Rotich will close things out on the track in the women's 100m hurdles quarterfinals and the men's 5,000m run.
Fans can keep up with the latest in Tulane track & field action by following the teams on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
Tulane Results from Day Two of the NCAA East Regional
Women's 100m Hurdles Prelims
23. Jessica Duckett, 13.51
Women's 400m Hurdles Quarterfinals
12. Jessica Duckett, 58.13
Men's 400m Quarterfinals
6. Raymond Kibet, 45.21#*
Men's 3,000m Steeplechase
3. Emmanuel Rotich, 8:36.40*
Players Mentioned
