JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Irish added four more individuals to the NCAA Championship roster Saturday night as Rachel DaDamio, Jessica Harris, Summer Thorpe and Yared Nuguse punched their ticket to the meet in Austin, bringing the team total to seven entries.
The Irish opened the evening of competition in the field where Abbey Kapitan and Rachel Tanzcos finished their successful seasons in the women’s shot put. Kapitan threw 15.50m for 26th overall while Tanzcos, in her third event of the regional meet, took 28th with a 15.41m mark.
On the track, the Irish sent three individuals through to Austin for the NCAA Championships in consecutive events. Jessica Harris, who led the region in time coming into the meet and boasts the second-best time in the nation, won her 1,500m race in 4:12.64 to advance.
Not to be outdone, Yared Nuguse came up and won the men’s race in 3:41.86 to earn his spot at the national meet as well. His personal best time set earlier this season ranks him third in the nation and top among the East.
Summer Thorpe kept the Irish success alive as she grabbed the final 100m hurdle spot, finishing 12th in 13.30m. She came into the meet ranked 13th in the region, fighting for a spot in the top-12.
Rachel DaDamio added another ticket to Austin for the Irish as she finished 11th in the 5K with a time of 16:25.42. Her teammates Jacqueline Gaughan and Jessica Harris finished 32nd and 39th, respectively.
The final race of the weekend came as Andrew Alexander tied his spikes for the men’s 5K. Crossing the line in 14:27.44, he finished 23rd overall.
Up Next
Seven individuals will represent Notre Dame at the 2019 Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 6-8 in Austin, Texas.
Anna Rohrer, Jackie Gaughan and Maddy Denner secured their spots in the meet after their strong performance in the women’s 10K Thursday night. The nation’s top 10K team will be joined by Harris (1,500m), Yared Nuguse (1,500m), Summer Thorpe (100m hurdles) and Rachel DaDamio (5K) at the championship meet next month.