May 24, 2018

Jackson, Robinson advance on opening day of NCAA East Preliminary

TAMPA, Fla. – Tennessee Tech had a rain-soaked day to start off its appearance at the NCAA East Preliminary, hosted in Tampa at the University of South Florida Track & Field Stadium.

By Layne Weitzel, TTU Sports Information

TAMPA, Fla. – Tennessee Tech had a rain-soaked day to start off its appearance at the NCAA East Preliminary, hosted in Tampa at the University of South Florida Track & Field Stadium.

All five Golden Eagles were in action in Thursday's meet opener.

D'Airrien Jackson and Na'Asha Robinson each advanced to Friday's 400m dash quarterfinal after finishing within the top 24 spots in Thursday's first round.

Robinson placed 15^th (third in her heat) with a season-best time of 52.57. Jackson also put up a season-best time of 52.778 to place 18^th overall and second in her heat.

Should the pair place among the top 12 in Friday's quarterfinal, they will advance directly to the NCAA Championships.

Khemani Roberts started off Tech's day in the high jump, making her third NCAA East Preliminary appearance in the event. She reached a height of 1.75m/5'8¾", just an inch off her best mark, to place 21^st of the event's 48 jumpers.

Micayla Rennick and Purity Sanga closed Thursday in the late-night 10k. Rennick placed 37^th with a time of 36:37.37, while Sanga finished 39^th in 36:47.43.

Rennick, Sanga and Roberts all close outstanding seasons – Rennick an outstanding career – for Tech track & field.

MEET INFO

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | TICKETS | HEAT SHEETS | EAST PRELIMINARY QUALIFIERS

LIVE RESULTS | FloTrack streaming link ($): http://bit.ly/2IdZWYf

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (revised as of Thursday, May 24 at noon CT)

Thursday, May 24

1 p.m. CT – high jump first round (Roberts)

2:45 p.m. CT – 400m dash first round (Jackson, Robinson)

8:40 p.m. CT – 10,000m run (Rennick, Sanga)

Friday, May 25

12:15 p.m. CT – 400m dash quarterfinal (Jackson, Robinson)

2:25 p.m. CT – 200m dash first round (Robinson)