NC State Wolfpack

May 24, 2012

Men's Outdoor Performance List | Women's Outdoor Performance List
Men's start list | Women's start list
Schedule of Events | NCAA East Region Championship Page
Thursday's results | Friday's live scoring | Saturday's live scoring

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - NC State throwers Nathaniel Williams and Tremanisha Taylor qualified for their first trips to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in two weeks, while All-American Andie Cozzarelli earned a return trip in the women's 10,000 meters on Thursday at the NCAA East Region Preliminary meet at North Florida's Hodges Stadium.

All-American Ryan Hill of Hickory, N.C., also took the first step toward returning to the NCAA champions by finishing second overall in the first round of the men's 1,500 meters and will advance to Saturday's quarterfinals. He can qualify for his third consecutive trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships by finishing top 12 of the quarterfinals.

Cozzarelli, a second-team All-American last year, finished fourth overall Friday night in the 10,000 meters and will advance to the championship meet, which will be held in early June at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Freshman Joanna Thompson finished 10th in the women's 10K, while senior Patrick Campbell finished 30th in the men's race.

It was a busy first day for the Wolfpack at the NCAA East Region preliminary meet at North Florida's Hodges Stadium. Action will continue on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Taylor, a redshirt freshman from Henderson, N.C., became the first member of either Wolfpack squad to advance to the championship meet with a school record-setting throw in the shot put in the early afternoon. She broke teammate Lawanda Henry's school record in the process, throwing the shot 55-feet, ¼-inch.

Henry set the previous school mark of 54-feet, 1-inch as a sophomore in 2010. On Thursday, the senior from Dunn, N.C., finished 20^th with a mark of 50-feet.

Taylor will compete Friday in the women's discus, in which she owns the NC State school record with a throw of more than 175 feet.

Williams, a sophomore from Newport, N.C., had the second best throw of his career in the men's discus, posting a mark of 186-feet, 5-inches to finish third overall. Redshirt freshman Jule Rich also competed in the discus, but did not advance.

Williams was a regional qualifier last year, but did not advance to the championships. This year, he not only had the best throw of his career in the discus, but also earned All-ACC honors by finishing second at the ACC Championships.

In first round action on the track, Hill finished second in the men's 1,500 meters and earned a spot in Saturday's 6:30 p.m. quarterfinals with his time of 3:45.46.

Hill is also entered in the men's 5,000 meters on Saturday with teammates Andrew Colley, Bobby Moldovan and Sandy Roberts. That race is scheduled to begin at 8:05 p.m. Hill and Colley advanced to the NCAA championships last year in the 5,000 meters.

Junior Karimah Shepherd was 21^st in the women's long jump with a distance of 19-feet, 10 ¾-inches. She will compete in the triple jump with teammate Jazueline Daniels on Saturday.

Several other Wolfpack athletes will be in action on Friday, including junior Brian Himelright in the men's 3,000-meter steelplechase, senior Kwame Boatwright in the men's triple jump, junior Erin Mercer and sophomore Samantha Norman in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase and sophomore Lacey Shuman in the women's high jump.

All results will be posted on GoPack.com on Friday evening.

NCAA East Region Preliminaries
Hodges Field
at Jacksonville, Fla.
NC State's Day 1 Results

Men's 1,500 meters
2. Ryan Hill                                          3:45.56

Women's 800 meters
40. Tiayonna Blackmon                  2:11.04
-- Kenyetta Iyevbele                      DNF

Women's 10,000 meters
4. Andie Cozzarelli                             34:25.66
18. Joanna Thompson                    35:08.54

Men's 10,000 meters
30. Patrick Campbell                     31:11.90

Women's shot put
3. Tremanisha Taylor                      55-00.25
20. Lawanda Henry                          50-00

Men's discus
3. Nathaniel Williams                      186-05

Women's long jump
21. Karimah Shepherd                   19-10 ¾