Four North Florida track and field athletes competed at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminaries this weekend, but none were able to post scores high enough to qualify for the NCAA Championships, thus ending their seasons.
Over 2,000 athletes from schools across the East Coast piled into Hodges Stadium for the three-day regional meet. Among the thousands of competitors were four Ospreys: Nick Morken, Alyssa Young, Fynn Timm and Bobby Harris.
Nick Morken (1500m)
Sophomore Nick Morken competed in the 1500m Thursday, finishing seventh out of 12 in his heat and 36th overall in the event with a time of 3:49.56. Morken came into the preliminaries with high expectations, after he set a blazing, personal-best time of 3:42 earlier this season. Had Morken managed the same time this weekend, he would’ve not only qualified for the NCAA Championships, but also finished first overall.
Bobby Harris (High Jump)
High jumper Bobby Harris finished his sophomore season with a tie for 16th place. Harris missed qualifying for the championship by .04m, jumping 2.13m. Harris cleared the qualifying height (2.17m) earlier this season multiple times, but a light brush of the bar by his backside on his final attempt was enough to end his season.
Alyssa Young (High Jump)
High-jumping sophomore Alyssa Young was the only female Osprey to qualify for the regional meet, and she posted a personal best jump of 1.76m to secure an 18th place finish. 12 athletes were able to clear 1.8m and sat atop the leaderboard.
Fynn Timm (3,000m Steeplechase)
Freshman Fynn Timm competed in the 3,000m Steeplechase Friday night, finishing with a time of 9:23.48. Timm placed 44th out of the 45 competitors who finished the event, and Michigan’s Mason Ferlic took home the top spot with a time of 8:29.54.
The qualifying athletes will compete in the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon June 8-11.
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