EUGENE, Ore. -- Sophomore Gabrielle Jennings and freshman Kristlin Gear earned honorable mention All-America accolades in the 3,000m Steeplechase Thursday at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Jennings posted a time of 10:18.10 to finish tenth in her heat and 20th overall, while Gear crossed the line in 10:35.42, placing 12th in heat one and 24th overall.
A native of Sidell, La., Jennings finished fourth in her heat at the East Preliminaries with a time of 10:02.67, a school record which was eclipsed just minutes later by Gear, and qualified in ninth-place. Jennings, who placed 18th in the event at last year's NCAA East Preliminaries, entered the event with the 16th-best time in the East in 2018.
Gear, a native of Fort Myers, Fla., passed two runners on the final lap at last week's preliminaries, placing third in her heat with a school-record time of 9:52.71 to reach the semifinals. She entered the event ranked 19th in the East with a time of 10:12.72, which she set at the Raleigh Relays.
On Wednesday, senior Frank Lara claimed second team All-America honors in the 10,000m. He finished 15th with a time of 29:42.87 in the finals after placing 11th with a season-best time of 29:33.95 in the semifinals last week. A native of Houston, Texas, he earned All-American honorable mention accolades in the event last season after scoring a 19th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
The meet will conclude on Saturday, when senior Allie Buchalski and sophomore Savannah Carnahan will represent the Paladins in the 5,000 finals at 8:25 p.m. Buchalski, a native of Johns Creek, Ga., won her heat and placed third overall with a time of 16:14.37 at the preliminaries to earn an automatic qualifying spot. She entered the meet ranked second in the East with a time of 15:39.17 in the 5,000m, which she recorded at the Virginia Challenge. Buchalski finished sixth in the 5,000m at last year's NCAA Championships, earning an All-American citation.
Carnahan, who hails from Cumming, Ga., posted the ninth-best time in the semifinals at 16:17.59 to advance through to the finals. Carnahan, who finished 20th in the event at last year's NCAA East Preliminaries, entered the race ranked seventh in the East with a time of 15:49.89, which she posted at the Raleigh Relays.
The top eight finishers in each event at the NCAA Championships are deemed first team All-Americans, with finishers nine through 16 earning second team All-American accolades. Honorable Mention All-American citations are bestowed on athletes who finish in 17th through 24th place.
Saturday's action will be televised on ESPN2 from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., with ESPN network coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Julie Paré, Furman Sports Information
NCAA Championships (All times noted are Eastern Standard Time)
Wednesday - Men's 10,000m
Frank Lara - 15th (29:42.87) - Second Team All-American
Thursday - Women's 3,000m Steeplechase
Gabrielle Jennings - 20th (10:18.10) - Honorable Mention All-American
Kristlin Gear - 24th (10:35.42) - Honorable Mention All-American
Saturday
8:25 p.m. Women's 5,000m Final – Allie Buchalski & Savannah Carnahan
