June 13, 2014
EUGENE, Ore. — On day two of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the University of Notre Dame track and field teams had both a women’s team and a men’s team running in the 4x400m relay semifinals. Despite running strong, both teams fell short of qualifying for the finals.
The men’s team of seniors Patrick Feeney and Jarrod Buchanon, junior Chris Giesting and freshman Harvey Smith finished the race in 3:05.77, leaving them in ninth place. They were just .13 seconds out of eighth place and the final qualifying spot.
The women’s team (seniors Michelle Brown and Megan Yanik, junior Amber Lalla and sophomore Margaret Bamgbose) saw an even more heartbreaking finish in their race. In the final leg of the third heat, Bamgbose lost hold of the baton, and Notre Dame was disqualified from the race.
Four Irish athletes will compete today in the finals of their events. Senior Alexa Aragon will kick things off at 5:35 p.m. in the finals of the women’s 3,000m steeplechase. Giesting will run in the finals of the men’s 400m dash at 5:50 with Brown and Bamgbose following in the women’s 400m at 6 p.m.
Tomorrow will be the final day of the championships, and junior Emily Morris will be the final competitor for Notre Dame in the women’s shot put at 1 p.m.
–Lauren Chval, Media Relations Assistant
–ND–