Saturday, May 29
College Station, Texas
10:30 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
NCAA West Preliminary
Photo by: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports
Mahala Norris Advances Out of NCAA Prelim
5/29/2021 5:43:00 PM | Track and Field
Norris finished second in her heat to earn a spot in next month's national semifinal.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Recently-commissioned second lieutenant Mahala Norris advanced to the next month's NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the steeplechase this afternoon (May 29), as Air Force wrapped up action at the West Preliminary in College Station, Texas. With the second-fastest time in program history – a 9:54.39 that only trails her own Academy Record – Norris earned an automatic bid to the national semifinal.
Norris got into the front of the 16-runner heat at the gun and, after swinging to the outside to regain that footing following a fall on the first barrier, did not relinquish her place among the frontrunners. Norris stayed within the top three, as the lead pack shrank from eight with five laps to go, to five with three laps to go, to three at the bell. Running 1:16.03 on the final lap, Norris finished second to secure one of the three automatic bids to next month's national semifinal – while placing ninth in the full 48-runner event.
Two sophomore members of the men's team also competed today, running in quarterfinal races that were rescheduled to this afternoon due to the severe weather that rolled through College Station last night. Aidan Boyle registered the third-fastest steeplechase of his career – 9:02.84 – to finish within the top half (23rd) of the 48-runner West Prelim final, while Sam Gilman posted a time of 3:49.80 to finish 24th in the Prelim final of the 1500-meter run.
The collegiate track and field season comes to a close on June 9-12, when the top qualifiers from this week's two regional sites – including Norris and classmate Maria Mettler (10,000-meter run) – converge on Eugene, Ore., for the NCAA Outdoor Championships at the newly-renovated Hayward Field.
Norris got into the front of the 16-runner heat at the gun and, after swinging to the outside to regain that footing following a fall on the first barrier, did not relinquish her place among the frontrunners. Norris stayed within the top three, as the lead pack shrank from eight with five laps to go, to five with three laps to go, to three at the bell. Running 1:16.03 on the final lap, Norris finished second to secure one of the three automatic bids to next month's national semifinal – while placing ninth in the full 48-runner event.
Two sophomore members of the men's team also competed today, running in quarterfinal races that were rescheduled to this afternoon due to the severe weather that rolled through College Station last night. Aidan Boyle registered the third-fastest steeplechase of his career – 9:02.84 – to finish within the top half (23rd) of the 48-runner West Prelim final, while Sam Gilman posted a time of 3:49.80 to finish 24th in the Prelim final of the 1500-meter run.
The collegiate track and field season comes to a close on June 9-12, when the top qualifiers from this week's two regional sites – including Norris and classmate Maria Mettler (10,000-meter run) – converge on Eugene, Ore., for the NCAA Outdoor Championships at the newly-renovated Hayward Field.
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1500m / 5000m
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