LEXINGTON, Ky. – Four members of the Yale track and field team competed at the NCAA East First Round meet on Friday, having qualified for the meet by placing in the top 48 in the region in their respective events. The meet is one of two regional meets this week that determine who advances to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., next month. The top 12 in each event advance.
The Bulldogs:
- Sophomore Owen Karas provided another highlight in the 1500m, having earned a berth in the quarterfinals by finishing fifth in his heat Wednesday. Karas' time on Friday, 3:40.22, was a personal best and the second-fastest 1500m time in Yale history. However, he finished .23 seconds behind the final at-large qualifying spot for advancing to the NCAA Championships.
Villanova's Liam Murphy finished first with a facility record time of 3:38.30. Karas was eighth.
- Yale had a pair of discus throwers in action Friday afternoon. Senior Captain Matt Appel finished 19th with a mark of 54.95 and senior Chris Ward – who had competed in the shot put Wednesday – finished 43rd with a mark of 49.70m. South Alabama's Francois Prinsloo had the best mark of the afternoon (63.16m).
- Sophomore Brian Di Bassinga finished 44th in the triple jump Friday night with a mark of 14.85m. Miami's Russell Robinson had the best jump of the evening (16.67m).
Notes:
- Including Isiah Udofia, who competed in the long jump Wednesday, three of the five Bulldogs who competed at the NCAA East First Round were sophomores.
