After a historic performance at the SEC Outdoor Championships, Vanderbilt Track and Field continued its spring slate at the NCAA East Regional in Lexington, Ky., from May 23-25. Out of 11 student-athletes who qualified for the competition, three advanced to the upcoming NCAA Championships.
“Being here is one of the things that creates a crucible moment for our athletes in their careers,” director of track and field Althea Thomas said. “I can’t say enough good things about this meet and what Vanderbilt will continue to do.”
Graduate student Veronica Fraley — fresh off a gold medal at the SEC Championships — had the most prolific weekend of any Commodore, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in two events. Fraley finished fourth in the shot put and third in the discus with distances of 17.42 and 58.53 meters, respectively.
Fellow graduate student Sarah Omoregie also qualified in the shot put, finishing ninth with a distance of 16.83 meters. A transfer from Harvard, Omoregie qualified for the NCAA Championships in the shot put last season as well as a thrower for the Crimson.
The final qualifier was freshman Lena Gooden, who recorded a distance of 6.19 meters in the long jump that was good for 10th place. By nature of her performance, Gooden broke her own program record of 6.17 meters in the event.
Three more Commodores advanced to the quarterfinals in their respective events despite ultimately not moving on to the NCAA Championships. Sophomore Allyria McBride narrowly missed the cutoff in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing 13th with a time of 56.84 seconds. Fellow second-year Fallon Spearman was also incredibly close to qualification in the 100-meter hurdles, with a 12th-place finish of 13.16 seconds. Junior Julia Rosenberg finished 18th in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4 minutes and 15.83 seconds.
“We had some amazing things happen that have continued from our entire season and culminated in some qualifying performances,” Thomas said. “The foundation was in having an identity and having an intention.”
Vanderbilt’s three qualifying student-athletes will compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oreg., from June 6-8.
