Four different UNF athletes competed in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Region, which UNF hosted at Hodges Stadium.
UNF senior middle distance runner Smilla Kolbe stole the show by punching a ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. After posting a time of 2:02.29 in round one on Thursday, which was good for fifth place, Kolbe shortened her time by over two seconds to clinch her second consecutive championship appearance.
“This year was honestly the first time I’ve even raced on this track,” Kolbe said in a video to UNF Athletics. “I’ve had only amazing races here, especially today to qualify on the home track qualifying for Oregon is amazing with the home crowd, the teammates.”
With a time of 2:00.09, Kolbe secured her fourth fastest 800-meter time and the second fastest of her career.
“I feel like this year I’m in a different position than last year,” Kolbe said. “So, of course, I have way bigger goals this year.”
Just after winning ASUN Most Outstanding Women’s Track Performer of the Year, Kolbe lived up to the award by becoming the third Osprey to advance to consecutive championships. Joining the likes of Briana Frazier (2011, 2012), the other Osprey to win Track Performer of the Year, and Eden Meyer (2017, 2018), Kolbe will compete at Hayward Field from June 11-14.
Other Ospreys Who Competed In Regionals
Right after Kolbe’s heat, junior Ella Chandler participated in the 800-meter, placing sixth in her group.
Fifth-year senior Aidan O’Gorman and graduate student Robert Pedroza ran preliminary races late last week, with O’Gorman finishing 24th in the men’s 10,000-meter race, while Pedroza was seventh in his 800-meter heat.
Both athletes competed late into the night following a five-hour weather delay. According to UNF Athletics, Pedroza began his event just before midnight, while O’Gorman began his race just before one in the morning.
While this is the end of Pedroza and O’Gorman’s careers, they depart UNF as record holders for their respective races.
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