Wake Forest University
NCAA East Region Preliminaries
Abrahamson, Heppenstall Qualify for NCAA National Championships
5/26/2017 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeTrack)
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Two Demon Deacons qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships at the second day of competition at the East Preliminary Round.
Robert Heppenstall will return to the championships in Eugene, Oregon from June 7-10 in the men's 800m while Ellie Abrahamson advanced to the championships in the women's 3000m steeplechase.
Abrahamson won her steeplechase heat to automatically advance to the championships while breaking the school record with a time of 10:00.39. Abrahamson broke the school record for the third time this season, replacing the 10:06.42 she ran at the ACC Championship.
Abrahamson is the first female Wake Forest distance runner to qualify for the National Championship since 2009 when Anna Nosenko finished 14th in the 5000m run.
Heppenstall ran a time of 1:48.19, which was good for second in his heat and ninth overall, to seal his return trip to Eugene. The top three athletes in each heat plus the next three fastest times advanced to the championships. The sophomore also competed in outdoor nationals last year where he finished eighth and earned All-American honors.
Also on the track, Jen Esposito wrapped up her season with a 21st-place finish in the women's 400m hurdles quarterfinal. Esposito ran a time of 59.61, her fifth-fastest time of the season.
Coming up on Saturday, Max Adams will throw in the men's discus at 2 p.m., Kathryn Lazarchick will compete in the 1500m quarterfinal at 6:30 p.m. and Abrahamson will close out competition with the 5000m semifinal at 7:50 p.m.
Results
Men's 800m
9Q. Robert Heppenstall, 1:48.19
Women's 3000m Steeplechase
5Q. Ellie Abrahamson, 10:00.39
Women's 400m Hurdles
21. Jen Esposito, 59.61
Players Mentioned
