JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Furman junior Carson Williams punched his ticket to the NCAA Championship in the 3,000m Steeplechase Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships East Preliminaries, which are being hosted by North Florida this week at Visit Jax Track in Jacksonville, Fla.
A native of Raleigh, N.C., Williams posted a season-best time of 8:38.40 to take third both in his heat and overall, advancing automatically to the semifinals, which will be held on Wednesday, June 7, at 8:02 p.m. ET in Austin, Texas. The finals of the events are slated for Friday, June 9, at 9:24 p.m. ET.
Williams, who was competing in the event at the preliminaries for the third-consecutive year, entered the meet ranked 13th in the East after recording a time of 8:43.56 at the EKU Rick Erdmann Twilight. He finished fourth in the Steeplechase 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.
Senior Cameron Ponder, who hails from Winston-Salem, N.C., made his second preliminaries appearance in the 3,000m Steeplechase. He finished eighth in his heat and 29th overall with a time of 9:04.50. Ponder was ranked 23rd entering the prelims after finishing second with a time of 8:49.54 in the event at the SoCon Outdoor Championships. He previously competed in the Steeplechase at the 2021 NCAA East Preliminaries after qualifying with a personal-best time of 8:44.63.
On Wednesday, senior Adam Beucler finished 26th in the 10,000m. A native of Hudson, Ohio, Beucler posted a time of 30:03.61 in the race to eclipse his entering rank of 34th by eight spots. He qualified for the meet after recording a personal-best time of 29:05.27 at the Raleigh Relays. Beucler 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.
In Thursday's action, senior Abigail Robertson placed 45th in the 1,500m. Robertson, who hails from Marietta, Ga., recorded a time of 4:29.62 at the prelims. She entered the meet ranked 42nd after winning the 1,500m with a personal-best time of 4:19.18 at the SoCon Outdoor Championships. 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.
The top 12 finishers in each event advanced to the NCAA Championships, which will be held in Austin, Texas, June 7-10.
NCAA East Preliminaries - Furman Results
Wednesday, May 24
Men's 10,000m - Adam Beucler – 26th (30:03.61)
Thursday, May 25
Women's 1,500m 1st Round – Abigail Robertson – 45th (4:29.62)
Friday, May 26
Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Semifinals – Carson Williams 3rd (8:38.40) & Cameron Ponder 29th (9:04.50)
