JACKSONVILLE, FLA. -- Furman's Gabbi Jennings won the 3,000m Steeplechase, setting a program record in the process, Saturday in the final day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships East Preliminaries, which were hosted by the University of North Florida and the Jacksonville Sports Council in Jacksonville, Fla.
A senior from Slidell, La., Jennings posted a time of 9:40.53 for the victory and qualified automatically for the NCAA Championships, which are set from June 9-12 in Eugene, Oregon. The semifinals of the Steeplechase are slated for Thursday, June 10, at 7:02 p.m. ET with the finals scheduled for Saturday, June 12 at 6:24 p.m. ET. Jennings, who reached the preliminaries in the 3,000m Steeplechase for the third-straight outdoor season, is just the second Paladin to win an event at the NCAA East Preliminaries and the first since Allie Buchalski claimed gold in the 5,000m in 2016.
Jennings earned All-American honors with a ninth-place finish in the event at the 2019 championship meet. She entered the preliminaries ranked third in the East after qualifying with a time of 9:43.48, the previous program record and an Olympic trials qualifying time, which she posted at the Drake Relays. She also qualified for the preliminaries in the 800m, 1,500m, and 5,000m, but focused her efforts on the Steeplechase.
Also on Saturday, freshman Bethany Graham of Aldie, Va., finished 14th with a time of 16:10.35 in the 5,000m semifinals, slightly missing the cut to advance to the finals. Graham recorded a personal-record time of 15:57.92 to qualify in the event, knocking over 12 seconds off her previous personal best and becoming just the fifth woman in Furman history and the first Paladin freshman to break the 16:00 mark. She entered the championships ranked 24th in the East.
Freshman Megan Marvin, a native of Chapel Hill, N.C., placed 20th in the quarterfinals of the 800m Saturday, crossing the line in 2:06.02. Earlier in the competition, she qualified automatically for the quarterfinals by finishing third in her heat and 17th overall with a time of 2:05.40. Marvin recorded an qualifying time of 2:04.18 at the SoCon outdoor championships earlier this month and entered the race ranked 13th.
On Friday, senior Ryan Adams of Hudson, Ohio, advanced to the NCAA Championships in the 1,500m. Adams posted a time of 3:38.36 to take fourth in his heat and fourth overall, advancing automatically to the semifinals, which will be held on Wednesday, June 9, at 8:16 p.m. ET in Eugene, Oregon. The finals of the events are slated for Friday, June 11, at 8:11 p.m. ET.
Adams, who made his third NCAA East Preliminaries appearance in the event, finished third in his heat Wednesday to advance automatically to the quarterfinals, posting a time of 3:43.32 to finish in fourth place overall. As a junior in 2019, he earned All-American accolades after placing 16th at the NCAA Championships. He entered the preliminaries ranked fifth in the 1,500m after posting a program record of 3:37.66 at the Oregon Twilight Meet.
Also on Friday, junior Cameron Ponder, a native of Winston-Salem, N.C., and freshman Carson Williams, who hails from Raleigh, N.C., competed in the semifinals of the 3,000m Steeplechase. Ponder finished in 27th place with a time of 9:08.98, while Williams was 37th at 9:18.06. The Paladin duo each recorded 3,000m Steeplechase qualifying times at the Lee University Last Chance meet. Ponder entered the meet ranked 17th with a time of 8:44.63, while Williams enters in 22nd place with a time of 8:46.78.
Senior Jake Ogden, a native of Dana Point, Calif., placed 44th in the 5,000m after crossing the line in 14:42.04 in Friday's semifinals. He entered the meet ranked 46th with a time of 13:57.50, which he posted at the EKU Rick Erdmann Twilight Meet in April. He made his third appearance at the NCAA East Preliminaries, after competing in the 1,500m at the meet in both 2018 and 2019.
Earlier in the week at the preliminaries, senior Daniel Bernal of El Paso, Texas, posted a time of 29:56.39 to finish 27th in the 10,000m. Bernal entered the meet ranked 34th in the East in the event with a time of 29:17.95, a personal best which he registered at the Raleigh Relays in March. Senior Emma Kuntz of Louisville, Ky., competed in the first round of the women's 800m, placing 29th at 2:06.52. Kuntz, who also competed in the 800m at the 2019 East Preliminaries, entered the meet in 32nd place after qualifying with a time of 2:05.99 at the Tennessee Relays in April.
NCAA East Preliminaries - Furman Schedule/Results
Wednesday, May 26
Men's 1,500m 1st round – Ryan Adams - 4th (3:43.32) - automatic qualifier
Men's 10,000m – Daniel Bernal - 27th (29:56.39)
Thursday, May 27
Women's 800m 1st Round – Megan Marvin - 17th (2:05.40) - automatic qualifier
Women's 800m 1st Round - Emma Kuntz - 29th (2:06.52)
Friday, May 28
Men's 1,500m quarterfinals – Ryan Adams - 4th (3:38.36) - advanced to semifinals
Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Semifinals – Cameron Ponder - 27th (9:08.98)
Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Semifinals – Carson Williams - 37th (9:18.06)
Men's 5,000m Semifinals – Jake Ogden - 44th (14:42.04)
Saturday, May 29
Women's 3,000m Steeplechase Semifinals – Gabbi Jennings - 1st (9:40.53)
Women's 800m Quarterfinals – Megan Marvin - 20th (2:06.02)
Women's 5,000m Semifinals – Bethany Graham - 14th (16:10.35)
