GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Four Furman athletes have qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships East Preliminaries, which will be hosted by North Florida, May 24-27, at Visit Jax Track in Jacksonville, Fla.

Senior Abigail Robertson has qualified in the women's 1,500m.  On the men's side, senior Adam Beucler has earned a qualifying time in the 10,000m, and junior Carson Williams will run in the 3,000m Steeplechase for the third-consecutive year.  Senior Cameron Ponder is making his second appearance  in the 3,000m Steeplechase.

Robertson, a native of Marietta, Ga., won the 1,500m with a personal-best time of 4:19.18 at the SoCon Outdoor Championships.  She enters the meet ranked 42nd.  Robertson finished second in the 5,000m at this year's outdoor league championships and is the reigning SoCon indoor champion in both the 3,000m and 5,000m.

A native of Hudson, Ohio, Beucler ranks 34th in the East in the 10,000m after qualifying for the preliminaries with a personal-best time of 29:05.27 at the Raleigh Relays.  He took gold in the 5,000m with a time of 14:36.36 at the SoCon Outdoor Championships and earned All-SoCon citations indoors for the 3,000m and 5,000m.  

Williams, a native of Raleigh, N.C., posted a season-best time of 8:43.56 in the 3,000m at the EKU Rick Erdmann Twilight to qualify in 13th place for the 3,000m Steeplechase.  He finished fourth in the event at last year's NCAA East Preliminaries and went on to earn an All-America citation with a 16th-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships.  The reigning SoCon Champion in the event, he holds a personal-best time of 8:37.65, which he recorded at the 2022 Lee University Last Chance meet. 

Ponder, who hails from Winston-Salem, N.C., finished second with a time of 8:49.54 in the 3,000m Steeplechase at the SoCon Outdoor Championships.  He enters the meet ranked 23rd in the event.  Ponder also competed in the Steeplechase at the 2021 NCAA East Preliminaries after qualifying with a personal-best time of 8:44.63.

Furman will kick off competition at the East Preliminaries on Wednesday, May 25, with the men's 10,000m at 9:10 p.m.  The first round of the women's 1,500m is scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. with the quarterfinals of the event slated for Saturday at 5:15 p.m.  The semifinals of the men's 3,000m Steeplechase are scheduled for Friday at 5:40 p.m. 

The top 12 finishers in each event will advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held in Austin, Texas, June 7-10.

Wednesday 

Men's 10,000m - 9:10 p.m. – Adam Beucler

Thursday

Women's 1,500m 1st Round – 6:30 p.m. – Abigail Robertson

Friday

Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Semifinals – 5:40 p.m. – Carson Williams & Cameron Ponder

Saturday

Women's 1,500m Quarterfinals – 5:15 p.m. – Abigail Robertson if she advances