LOS ANGELES - Competing for the final time before the NCAA Championships later this month, the UC San Diego track and field team had a limited squad looking to qualify or improve their marks at the Cal State L.A. Last Chance Qualifier on Saturday in Los Angeles.
Senior Dustin Harris had one of the biggest highlights on the day, as he finished third overall in the men's 800-meters at 1:51.58. His time was a new personal best and good enough for a NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark in the event.
Harris is one of several Tritons that will be on the bubble for Nationals in two weeks.
Freshman Sabrina Pimentel also had a strong performance in the 800, winning the event with a first place time of 2:12.69. She improved her provisional qualifying time with the performance, but she will also have to wait to see if it will be enough to earn a trip to Nationals.
Other noteworthy finishes on the men's side included senior Jeremy Riley's second place showing in the men's 5,000-meters (15:58.96) and junior Ryan Eckert's third place finish in the shot put (49'1.5"). Freshman Nash Howe finished fifth in the javelin at 192'10".
On the women's side, Lauren Irish and Caitlin Meagher finished fifth and sixth in the women's 400-meter hurdles with respective times of 62.91 and 62.92. Meagher teamed with Kathleen Hitchens, Chelsey Kamson and Jacqueline Rose to finish third in the 4x100 relay at 46.98.
Competing for the Triton Track Club, Former UCSD All-American and current assistant coach Kelly Fogarty also had a noteworthy performance after winning the 200-meter dash in 23.15. Her time ranks 38th in the world and hit the U.S. Olympic Trials 'B' qualifying mark.
UCSD coaches expect her to earn a spot in the Olympic trials with the performance.
The Division II National Championships are scheduled for May 24-26 at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl in Pueblo, Colo. UCSD is now awaiting the final NCAA acceptance list, which is due out this Tuesday.
