GREENSBORO, N.C. - With Day 1 of the NCAA East Qualifying Regional complete, Middle Tennessee will send two athletes into the next round of qualifying.
Emmanuel Tugumisirize ran his personal best time in the men's 400 meter quarterfinal round, cruising around the track in 45.82 seconds to qualify eighth for the 12-man semifinal on Saturday.
Eliud Rutto turned in a record-breaking performance in the men's 800 meter preliminary round, besting his previous school record by .46 seconds, finishing second in 1:48.66. He will compete in Saturday's semifinals, scheduled for 6:15 p.m. CT.
Both Tugumisirize and Rutto will need to finish in the top three of their respective heats, or be one of the next top three times, in order to advance to the Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Two other Blue Raiders competed on Thursday, as Tahir Walsh ran a 10.68 time in the men's 100 meter dash, and Cordairo Golden jumped 6.81 meters in the long jump qualifying round. While neither Walsh nor Golden will advance in those events, Golden will have an opportunity to qualify in the triple jump on Saturday.
Competition continues tomorrow, with the first Blue Raider athlete being Ann Dudley in the women's high jump prelims. Dudley will be joined by Tugumisirize (400 meters), Rutto (800 meters) and Noah Akwu (200 meters) tomorrow. Live results for tomorrow's events are available here.
NCAA EAST QUALIFYING REGIONAL RESULTS (MT ONLY)
Men's 100 Meter Preliminary Round
45. Tahir Walsh (10.68 / 1.3 wind)
Men's 400 Meter Preliminary Round
8. Emmanuel Tugumisirize (45.82Q)
Men's 800 Meter Preliminary Round
2. Eliud Rutto (1:48.66)
Men's Long Jump Qualifying Round
39. Cordairo Golden (6.81m / 22-4.25ft)
