UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Seniors Meaghan McGovern and Nicol Traynor have qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round set for May 24-26 at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.
McGovern (North Kingstown, R.I./North Kingstown) is coming off her final Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championship appearance in which she captured her first-career conference gold in the hammer throw, smashing the school record in the process with her hurl of 57.03 meters. Currently ranked No. 30 among next weekend's field of 48 throwers, McGovern will be making her third-straight Preliminary Round appearance.
Following her 11th-place finish in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase at last year's NCAA Championship, Traynor (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) will look to cap off her collegiate career as a two-time All-American in her signature event. She is seeded fifth heading into the Preliminary Round with her conference meet and facility record time of 10:04.20 set at the A-10 Championship, where she was named the meet's Most Outstanding Women's Performer after racing to wins in the 3k Steeple and 3,000 Meters. Traynor has now qualified for the Preliminary Round in each of her four seasons as a Spider.
Traynor will compete in the quarterfinals of the 3k Steeple on Friday at 9:30 p.m., with McGovern scheduled to begin competition in the hammer throw on Saturday at 2 p.m.
In order for a student-athlete to qualify for the National Semifinals, generally he or she must be near the top of their heat or have one of the next fastest marks. Twelve total qualifiers from each event will advance to the next round of the NCAA Outdoor Championship in Des Moines, Iowa, from June 6-9. The qualifying structure varies by event, however, with a full breakdown of this structure being made available here.
Stay updated on McGovern and Traynor's performances and all the latest Richmond Track & Field news notes right here on RichmondSpiders.com. More in-depth coverage can be found on Coach Steve Taylor's blog and by following him on Twitter as well. The Spiders also have their own Facebook page and have launched their own YouTube Video Channel as well.
