By Katie Zigelman, News Staff
Five athletes from the track & field teams are traveling to Bloomington, Ind., today to compete in the East Preliminary Region NCAA Championships meet, the largest number of athletes Northeastern has ever sent.
Sophomore Jillena DeCarteret will compete in the pole vault and senior Althea Charles is throwing the hammer. From the men’s team, freshman Eric Jenkins is running in both the 1,500-meter run and the 5,000-meter run, senior Jonathon Hall is competing in the 400-meter hurdles and senior Patrick Jablonski is throwing both the shot put and the discus. Junior Jessica Barton also qualified to compete in the 5,000-meter run but has to sit out due to an injury.
In order to qualify, athletes had to finish in the top 48 in the region. If any of them finish in the top 12 in their event, they will travel to Des Moines, Iowa June 8 for the National championship final round.
“Northeastern has a better shot of making it into the final round this year than ever before,” head coach Sherman Hart said.
Last week, these athletes competed at the New England Championships for a final meet before the national championships. The women’s team lost to the University of New Hampshire by just three points, and the men came in second to Southern Connecticut State University.
Senior Heather Crocker and junior Saleena Abdur-Rashed earned the team’s only victories, in the javelin throw and 100-meter hurdles, respectively. Both stormed the university’s record books as Crocker beat the school record with a throw of 146 feet, 8 inches, previously held by Nancy Rowe (146 feet, 6 inches) and Abdur-Rashed earned the fourth-best time in Northeastern history.
DeCarteret finished second in the pole vault after vaulting over 12 feet, 11.51 inches in her last meet before traveling for NCAA championships. Charles also finished second in the hammer throw (181 feet, 3.59 inches), fourth in the shot put (44 feet, 2.7 inches) and fourth in the discus (131 feet, 2.01 inches).
“We were hoping to win and came in second, which is a little disappointing, but it was a close meet and a lot of people were happy with their performances,” DeCarteret said.
For the men’s team, junior Darius Velez, Jenkins and Hall all won their events. Velez became the first Husky since 1991 to win the 100-meter dash by running it in 10.90, Jenkins won the 1,500-meter run with the fifth-best time in Northeastern history (3:46.04) and Hall won the 400-meter hurdles for the second year at this meet in 51.77.
Jablonski also did well in his last meet before NCAAs, finishing second in the discus (168 feet, 9.19 inches) and fourth in the shot put (55 feet, 4.17 inches).
Hart was extremely happy with the outcome of the New England Championship Meet.
“We did extraordinarily well,” Hart said. “Everyone stepped up and did their personal best. It couldn’t have been a better meet for us.”
At the upcoming championship meet, all of the athletes are hoping to qualify for the final round. However, DeCarteret is also hoping to break the school record, which she tied at the Ramapo Invitational April 2.
“This is my first time going [to NCAAs]. I didn’t make it last year so I am excited to go,” DeCarteret said. “It would be great to break [the school record] this weekend.”
The national championships mark the end of the season for the athletes.
“It has been a long season,” DeCarteret said. “I am happy with how it went and excited for the next one.”
Whether or not any athletes bring home hardware from NCAA championships, the men’s indoor and outdoor track teams can add the Public Recognition Award to its trophy case for the second consecutive year. This award, received May 17, recognizes the teams in the top 10 percent nationally in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate.
“It is the first thing we talk about,” Hart said. “Remember why you’re here.”
