GREENVILLE, N.C. – Eight Pirates will represent the ECU track and field program this week at the NCAA East Regionals which will be held in Greensboro, N.C., on the campus of North Carolina A&T University from Thursday, May 23-Saturday, May 25. Four men and four women will take the field in hopes to earn a spot to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., early next month.
"The coaching staff and student-athletes are very excited about the upcoming NCAA East Regional Championships," Head Coach Curt Kraft said. "We have eight student-athletes going in 11 different events which are spread out over three days.
"Anytime individuals and/or teams advance to the postseason, that's a credit to all the hard work they have put in throughout the year. The goal of the meet is to advance as many student-athletes to the NCAA Championships as we can. The student-athletes we have going are very focused and ready to compete. They understand that it is all about what they do on that day. It is all about head-to-head competition; you either compete and move on, or go home."
Senior Tiffany Harris qualified in both the women's 200-meter and 400-meter dash. Harris will be making her second straight appearance in the NCAA East Regionals. She earned her best time in the 200-meter dash at the C-USA Outdoor Championships preliminary round when she posted a career-best time of 23.77 to tie for fourth in the ECU career record book. Harris' season-best time of 53.16 in the women's 400-meter dash at the C-USA Outdoor Championships earned her a third-place finish in the event. Last season, Harris notched a lifetime best time of 53.00 at the C-USA Outdoor Championships for a second-place finish. Her mark of 53.00 is good for second in the ECU all-time record book.
Erin Tucker, a senior from Concord, N.C., will be competing in the women's 100-meter hurdles after she set the ECU school record in the event with a time of 13.50 for a fifth-place finish at the C-USA Outdoor Championships finals. Earlier this season, Tucker earned a first-place finish in the women's 100-meter hurdles at the Mountains vs. Beaches meet with a time of 13.90. She previously held the school record with a time of 13.53 which she set at the Charlotte Invitational after coming in second in the event.
Kayla Padgett earned qualifying marks in three events, as she will represent East Carolina in the women's shot put, discus, and hammer throw. The sophomore out of Shallotte, N.C., set the school record in the shot put with a mark of 15.16m (49-09.00) for a first-place finish at the Charlotte Invitational. She followed that performance with a record-setting mark of 51.78m (166-10.00) in the discus to earn second place at the C-USA Outdoor Championships. Padgett also tallied a career-best mark of 58.07m (190-06.00) to win the women's hammer throw at the Penn Relays and rank fourth in the ECU annals.
Freshman Lauren Lubarski has qualified for the NCAA Regionals for the first time in her career after setting an ECU school record in the javelin with a mark of 48.32m (158-06.00) to place second at the C-USA Outdoor Championships. Lubarski previously won the Charlotte Invitational with a mark of 42.01m (137-10.00), and earned a second-place finish at the Mountains vs. Beaches meet with a mark of 38.91m. The Hermitage, Pa., native also notched a pair of third-place finishes at the 49er Classic (41.74m) and the Sea Ray Relays (42.45m).
Quinton Harley has qualified for the NCAA East Regionals for the second time in as many years. The senior from Rochester, N.Y., will represent the Pirates in the men's 400-meter hurdles. Harley posted his season-best time of 52.04 to kick off the outdoor season at the 49er Classic as he won the event. He was just .01 second shy of tying his season-best time when he placed second at the C-USA Outdoor Championships with a time of 52.05. His career-best time in the 400-meter hurdles came last year at the NCAA East Regionals when he ran a time of 51.01 for a sixth-place finish. His career-best time stands at second on the ECU all-time list.
Freshman Cameron Hudson will make his NCAA East Regional debut as he has qualified in the men's long jump. Hudson posted a lifetime best mark of 7.61m (24-11.75) at the Penn Relays to win the event and place second in the ECU career record book. This season, Hudson turned in four first-place finishes in the men's long jump as he has won the event at the 49er Classic (7.38m, 42-02.50), Mountains vs. Beaches (6.94m, 22-09.25), Charlotte Invitational (7.37m, 24-02.25), and at the Penn Relays.
Senior Miles Coats earned a qualifying spot at the NCAA East Regionals for the first time in his career after tallying a pair of third-place finishes in the men's triple jump at the Charlotte Invitational (14.12m, 46-04.00) and the Penn Relays (15.15m, 49-08.50). His mark of 15.15m at the Penn Relays ranks him tied for sixth in the ECU all-time record book.
Rounding out the Pirates who will head to Greensboro, N.C., this week is freshman Allen Bordley. The Virginia Beach, Va., native will be competing the men's triple jump after posting three second-place finishes in the event at the Mountains vs. Beaches (13.99m, 45-10.75), Charlotte Invitational (14.15m, 46-05.25), and the Penn Relays (15.15m, 49-08.50). His mark at the Penn Relays ties Coats' mark for a sixth place in the ECU record book.
Qualifying teams and individuals will advance to the 2013 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 5-8.
