Carina Gillespie Advances to NCAA Championships

May 27, 2018

Results | NCAA West Preliminary, Saturday

SACRAMENTO, Calif. Ã¢â‚¬" Breaking her own Academy record in the 1500-meter run, Air Force senior Carina Gillespie punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday (May 26) night during the final night of competition at the West Preliminary in Sacramento.

Gillespie deleted two seconds off of her own Academy Record in the 1500-meter run (4:14.96) to become the first Division I female to qualify to the national finals in the 1500-meter run Ã¢â‚¬" and the first in any division since 1984. The senior, competing in the second Prelim final, used a strong final lap to move into the top-five (fifth) and earn an automatic bid to Eugene. In addition to finishing 10th in the overall field of 24 with her time of 4:14.96, Gillespie reset the Academy record for the third time this season Ã¢â‚¬" deleting more than seven seconds off of her own personal time during the season.

The senior is part of a program-record four females to qualify to the final site of the NCAA Outdoor Championships, as she joined junior Jaci Smith (10,000-meter run), senior Shelley Spires (high jump) and junior Kathryn Tomczak (pole vault).

On the men's side, the 4x400-meter relay of junior Sedacy Walden, freshman Zachary Dicken, senior Chip White and senior Tyler Koss recorded their second-fastest time of the season (3:08.06) to finish 18th in the Prelim final of the 4x400-meter relay, while senior John Reynolds finished 26th in the triple jump (49'9") and junior Jacob Bilvado placed 30th in the 5000-meter run (14:09.99). With a toss of 196'3" (33rd), sophomore Parker Spearman led a trio of Falcons in the javelin throw, as seniors Donny Crabill and Luke Piper finished 37th (194'5") and 48th (175'5"), respectively.

The 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will take place in Eugene, Ore., on June 6-9. The women begin action on Thursday, June 7, at Historic Hayward Field.

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