LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Furman senior Dylan Schubert won the 5,000m Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships East Preliminaries, which are being hosted by the University of Kentucky this week at the Kentucky Outdoor Track & Field Facility in Lexington, Ky.

A native of Loveland, Colo., Schubert shattered the facility record with a time of 13:50.99.  Midway through the race, he surged from 15th place into third before settling toward the middle of the pack.  A collision with two laps to go rattled much of the field, but Schubert was able to navigate through the chaos and emerge in fourth place.  He passed two runners on the next to the last lap, then overcame Harvard's Graham Blanks in the final 100m to take gold. 

With the victory, Schubert becomes the first regional winner in the history of the Furman men's track and field program.  He entered the meet ranked tenth after placing third with a time of 13:36.98 to qualify for his second East preliminary and first in the 5,000m.  

Schubert advances to the finals of the event, which will be held Friday, June 7, at 10:55 p.m. ET in Eugene, Oregon. 

The semifinals of the women's 5,000m semifinals are set for Saturday at 8:10 p.m.  Junior Sierra Bower, who hails from Carbondale, Colo., will compete in the event after qualifying for her first NCAA East Preliminary.  She recorded a personal-best time of 16:03.89 in the 5,000m at the Raleigh Relays to qualify and enters the meet ranked 40th in the event.  Bower won the event at the SoCon Outdoor Championships earlier this month.  

On Wednesday, senior Cameron Ponder, who made his third NCAA East Preliminary appearance, concluded his Furman career by recording a time of 3:55.63 in the 1,500m, placing 48th.  A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., he qualified for the meet after turning in a time of 3:40.90 in the event at the Wake Forest Invitational earlier in the season.  He won league titles in the 5,000m and 3,000m Steeplechase this season.

In Thursday's action, senior Megan Marvin of Chapel Hill, N.C., made her third preliminary appearance, including her second in the 1,500m, where she posted a time of 4:24.15 to finish 35th.  The reigning SoCon Champion in the 800m, she entered the preliminaries ranked 41st after posting a time of 4:18.13 at the Wake Forest Invitational.  She finished sixth with a PR of 4:13.47 in the event at the regional meet in 2022 and went on to place 15th nationally that season.  

The top 12 finishers in each event at the preliminary meet advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held in Eugene, Oregon, June 5-8.

NCAA East Preliminaries - Furman Schedule/Results

Wednesday, May 22

Men's 1,500m 1st Round - Cameron Ponder -- 48th (3:55.63)

Thursday, May 23

Women's 1,500m 1st Round – Megan Marvin -- 35th (4:24.15)

Friday, May 24

Men's 5,000m Semifinals – Dylan Schubert -- 1st (13:50.99)

Saturday, May 25

Women's 5,000m Semifinals – 8:10 p.m. – Sierra Bower