JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After watching the men open up the NCAA East Regionals on Wednesday it was the women’s turn to compete in their first day of competition on Thursday. Two Irish athletes punched their ticket to the NCAA Championships in Oregon and another advanced to Saturday’s NCAA Regional finals.
In the final event of the night, Katie Rose Blachowicz placed sixth in the 10,000m with a time of 33:45.51 to advance to the NCAA Championships in June. The NCAA Championship appearance will be the first of her career.
For the second straight day a Notre Dame thrower earned a spot at the NCAA Championships next month, as Rachel Tanczos broke her own school record in the hammer throw with a distance of 65.56m to place sixth in the event.
Tanczos wasn’t the only Irish athlete to break a program record, as Gabe Diederich bested her own school record in the javelin. The junior recorded a mark of 47.52m to improve the Notre Dame record.
On the track, senior Kelly Hart got the Irish off to a good start, recording a season-best time of 2:05.82 in the 800m to finish second in her heat and move on to Saturday’s final for a chance to go to Eugene for the NCAA Championships in June.
Day three of the NCAA East Regionals in Jacksonville will be the final day of men’s competition and will feature the majority of the track finals along with a number of field events. The first Notre Dame athlete in action will be Yared Nuguse, as he looks to take another step in defending his NCAA 1,500m title at 5:45 p.m. ET.
NCAA REGIONALS – DAY 2
Jacksonville, Florida
May 27, 2021
WOMEN
800m Prelims
19 – Kelly Hart (2:05.82 – Qualified for Friday’s Final)
32 – Erin Sullivan (2:09.19)
10,000m Final
6 – Katie Rose Blachowicz (33:45.51)
36 – Kyleigh Spearing (35:40.26)
Long Jump
26 – Jadin O’Brien (6.05m)
Hammer Throw
6 – Rachel Tanczos (PR: 65.56m – ND Record – Qualifies for NCAA Championships)
Javelin
22 – Gabe Diederich (PR: 47.52m – ND Record)