GREENSBORO, N.C. – Lauren Lubarski will accompany freshman Cameron Hudson and sophomore Kayla Padgett to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., beginning Wednesday, June 5, after qualifying for Nationals in the women's javelin throw on the final day of the NCAA East Regional.
Lubarski secured her spot at Nationals after recording a qualifying mark of 47.01m (154-03.00) for a 12th-place finish in the women's javelin throw. The top 12 finishers in the event advance to the NCAA Championships. Lubarski will join teammates Hudson (men's long jump) and Padgett (women's hammer throw) for the trio's first-ever appearance at Nationals.
"Having Lauren Lubarski qualify for Nationals is a great way to close out the Regional," Head Coach Curt Kraft said. "We are really proud of Lauren, Cameron, and Kayla. Getting this far is a testament to their ability and hard work. It's a great reward for all of the hard work they've put in.
"With three underclassmen qualifying for Nationals, the future of our program looks really bright. I'm confident this will be the first of many trips to the National Championships for these three."
Senior Tiffany Harris concluded her ECU career after placing 17th in the women's 200-meter dash semifinals with a time of 23.86. In her four years in purple and gold, Harris set the indoor record in the 300-meter dash with a time of 38.18, and was part of the indoor 4x400-meter relay team that set the school record with a time of 3:34.02. During outdoor competition, Harris ran anchor for the record-setting 4x100-meter relay squad (45.05), while also serving as a member of the school record-holding relay teams in the 4x200-meter relay (1:35.01) and 4x400-meter relay (3:35.75).
Erin Tucker ended the 2013 campaign with a time of 13.54 in the women's 100-meter hurdles for a 21st-place finish. The junior's time was just .04 half seconds shy of her school-record time of 13.50 in the event which she set earlier this season at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships.
ECU sent Allen Bordley and Miles Coats to the field in the men's triple jump preliminaries. Bordley tallied a mark of 14.93m (48-11.75) and finished in the top 25, while Coats concluded the year with a mark of 14.08m (46-02.50). The pair finish the season tied for sixth in the ECU record book in the triple jump as they both have notched career-bests of 15.15m (49-08.50).
"We're really proud of Lauren, Kayla, and Cameron for getting to Nationals; but the goal is not only to get there, but to try to accomplish something bigger and better," Coach Kraft stated. "It would be a great way for these three to finish the season. I'm really proud of them. It's neat when you send one to Nationals, but to be able to send three is really great. For back-to-back years we've qualified three people, so it's great to be heading back."
This year's trio of underclassmen will represent East Carolina at the three-day National meet which runs from June 5-8, and will be held at Hayward Field and hosted by the University of Oregon.
