Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
NCAA Outdoor Championships (First Round)
Graves Advances at NCAA East Regional
5/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
By Josh Gresh, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeTrack)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jessie Merckle and Katie Adair punched their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships as the Wake Forest track and field teams competed on day one of the NCAA East Regional on Thursday at North Florida's Hodges Stadium.
A total of nine of the 13 total Demon Deacons that qualified for the East Regionals competed on day one with both Merckle and Adair advancing to the NCAA Championships and Kyle Graves advancing to the quarterfinals of the men's 1,500m.
Merckle was the first Wake Forest competitor to punch her ticket to Eugene on Thursday in the women's javelin. She needed to finish in the top-12 to advance and her distance of 48.79m (160-1) earned her a 10th place finish to qualify. She has now qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year. Last season in Eugene, Oregon, she finished 12th place in the javelin.
Adair was the second Deacon to earn her spot in the NCAA Championships in the women's pole vault. She cleared a new personal best height of 4.18m (13-8.5) on her third attempt in the finals of the East Regional to punch her ticket to Eugene, Oregon. This will be the first time in her Wake Forest career that she has qualified for the NCAA Championships.
Graves also advanced for Wake Forest in his event finishing second in the men's 1,500m, earning a spot in the quarterfinals on Saturday. He will look to earn a trip to the NCAA Championships on Saturday at approximately 6:45 p.m.
Of the others that competed on the women's side, Sydney White finished 33rd in the pole vault, missing out on a chance to make the championships for a second consecutive season. Also Kathryn Lazarchick competed in the 1,500m run and finished 33rd with a time of 4:26.98 as part of the first heat. Kathleen Darling competed in the 10,000m and finished 27th clocking a time of 35:20.78.
On the men's side, Charlie Ionata just barely missed out on qualifying for the NCAA Championships finishing 18th in the hammer throw with a top distance of 63.09m (207-0). His distance was ranked fifth after his third throw, but others were able to pass him on their final toss.
The final two competitors for the Demon Deacons were Simon Holden and Sebastian Fischbach, as they both competed in the 1,500m. Fischbach finished 18th in the men's 1,500m crossing the finish line with a time of 3:48.54, while Holden took 35th, clocking a time of 3:56.60 in the East Regional first round.
The Demon Deacons continue NCAA East Regional action tomorrow and Saturday to try and qualify for the NCAA Championships. The only four competitors remaining for Wake Forest are Nyki Caldwell and Samantha Jones on the women's side and John Maurins and Max Adams for the men.
Tomorrow, Adams will be the only competitor as he will see if he can qualify for the NCAA Championships for the men's discus. On the final day Saturday, Caldwell will compete in the high jump, Jones will take part in the 5,000m, and Maurins will toss the shot put.
Players Mentioned
