Wake Forest Athletics

Deacs Wrap Up Day Two at East Prelims
5/24/2019 9:58:00 PM | Track and Field
Wright sets huge personal best; Kempski dishes solid performance
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Wake Forest track & field wrapped up the second day of action at the NCAA East Region Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Florida on Friday. Five Demon Deacons competed against some of the region's best, with bids to nationals on the line.
"We had a very good day again today," head coach John Hayes said. "We had a few very close misses, and if you look at all our performances, I'm pretty sure everyone outperformed their rankings coming in. That's a sign that you're having a great meet."
On the track, Elise Wright once again showed a glimpse into the future for Wake Forest, crushing her previous best in the 3k steeplechase with a time of 10:10.09 in what would be her final race of the season. The freshman closes out 2019 having earned first team All-ACC honors in the event at the conference championships in Charlottesville.
"Elise went in there and went after it," Hayes claimed. "She only missed by 1.3 seconds or so. It was a gutsy performance with a huge personal-best for her. Hannah (Brookover) did as well. She's been injured a little bit, but she went in there and went after it."
In the field, Tesia Kempski laid it all out on the line in the pole vault, giving it a final push towards nationals. The senior finished right outside the top-12 (13) and nearly cleared 4.17m for what would be a career-best. She goes out on a high note in 2019, with a team high three outdoor event titles and a second team outdoor All-ACC selection in the event.
"These kids have battled extremely hard," Hayes noted. "Tesia, in her final collegiate meet, what a great display of being a Demon Deacon. She barely missed at 4.17 (meters) and you can't say enough about how hard she fought coming in 13th-place."
"So, nothing to hang our head on today. We hope to go out there again tomorrow and have some kinds qualify for a trip to Austin, Texas."
It's a late start for the Deacs on day three. Competition at the NCAA East Preliminary resumes tomorrow afternoon. Set to compete for the Demon Deacons is Janese Lynch in the shot put at 5:15 p.m. She'll be followed by Mimi Smith in the women's 5k (8:05 p.m.) and freshman Zach Facioni in the men's 5k at 8:45 p.m.
RESULTS
Men's Javelin
34. Elijah Shalaway, 60.09
Women's Discus
32. Alva Hicks, 48.06
Women's Pole Vault
13. Tesia Kempski, 4.07m
Women's 3k Steeplechase
15. Elise Wright, 10:10.09 (PB)
41. Hannah Brookover, 10:39.02
"We had a very good day again today," head coach John Hayes said. "We had a few very close misses, and if you look at all our performances, I'm pretty sure everyone outperformed their rankings coming in. That's a sign that you're having a great meet."
On the track, Elise Wright once again showed a glimpse into the future for Wake Forest, crushing her previous best in the 3k steeplechase with a time of 10:10.09 in what would be her final race of the season. The freshman closes out 2019 having earned first team All-ACC honors in the event at the conference championships in Charlottesville.
"Elise went in there and went after it," Hayes claimed. "She only missed by 1.3 seconds or so. It was a gutsy performance with a huge personal-best for her. Hannah (Brookover) did as well. She's been injured a little bit, but she went in there and went after it."
In the field, Tesia Kempski laid it all out on the line in the pole vault, giving it a final push towards nationals. The senior finished right outside the top-12 (13) and nearly cleared 4.17m for what would be a career-best. She goes out on a high note in 2019, with a team high three outdoor event titles and a second team outdoor All-ACC selection in the event.
"These kids have battled extremely hard," Hayes noted. "Tesia, in her final collegiate meet, what a great display of being a Demon Deacon. She barely missed at 4.17 (meters) and you can't say enough about how hard she fought coming in 13th-place."
"So, nothing to hang our head on today. We hope to go out there again tomorrow and have some kinds qualify for a trip to Austin, Texas."
It's a late start for the Deacs on day three. Competition at the NCAA East Preliminary resumes tomorrow afternoon. Set to compete for the Demon Deacons is Janese Lynch in the shot put at 5:15 p.m. She'll be followed by Mimi Smith in the women's 5k (8:05 p.m.) and freshman Zach Facioni in the men's 5k at 8:45 p.m.
RESULTS
Men's Javelin
34. Elijah Shalaway, 60.09
Women's Discus
32. Alva Hicks, 48.06
Women's Pole Vault
13. Tesia Kempski, 4.07m
Women's 3k Steeplechase
15. Elise Wright, 10:10.09 (PB)
41. Hannah Brookover, 10:39.02
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