JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Furman senior Carson Williams finished fifth in the men's 3,000m Steeplechase Friday in the third day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships East Preliminaries, which are being hosted by North Florida this week at the Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium.

A native of Raleigh, N.C., Williams finished second in his heat with a time of 8:31.61 to advance automatically to the semifinals, which will be held on June 11 at 7:38 p.m. ET in Eugene, Oregon.  Williams, who made his fourth appearance in the event at the East preliminary after qualifying with a time of 8:30.83, is advancing to the NCAA semifinals for the third time.  The 2025 SoCon Steeplechase Champion, he finished 11th in the NCAA finals in 2023.   

Also on Friday, Ethan Domitrovich placed 24th with a time of 8:57.67 in the 3,000m Steeplechase.  A native of McDonald, Ohio, he make his first appearance at the NCAA East Preliminaries as a Furman athlete.  Domitrovich qualified in 33rd place.  Prior to joining the Paladin team, he competed at John Carroll, where he finished 12th at the NCAA Division III national championship last season and was sixth in 2023.  His best national finish came in 2022, when he took fourth place.  

Earlier at the meet, senior Dylan Schubert won the men's 10,000m on day one.  With just 400m left in the race, he was in sixth place, but in the first turn of the final lap, he passed two runners, then with just 200m to go, he picked off two more athletes to move into second place.  Schubert surged into the lead in the final straightaway to claim gold with a time of 29:00.74 and punch his ticket to the NCAA finals, which will be held in Eugene, Oregon, on June 11 at 9:56 p.m. ET.  

Junior Luke Taylor, who appeared in his first NCAA East Preliminary, finished 37th in the 10,000m with a time of 30:15.06.

Senior Matthew Smith initially posted a time of 1:47.88 to place third in his heat of the 800m but was later disqualified due to stepping over the curb.  The reigning SoCon 800m champion, he established a new Furman program record with a time of 1:46.75 at the Wake Forest Invitational to qualify in the event. 

Junior Carly Wilkes recorded a time of 34:24.75 to finish 30th in the 10,000m Thursday, marking her first career preliminary appearance.  She ranked 17th entering Thursday's race after winning the event with a personal-best time of 33:20.08 at the Raleigh Relays.  

The meet will conclude on Saturday.  The women's 3,000m Steeplechase quarterfinals are slated for 5:40 p.m. and the women's 5,000m semifinals are set for 8:10 p.m.

A native of Key West, Fla., Nicole Matysik, who will compete in the 3,000m Steeplechase, is making her first appearance at the preliminaries.  The two-time defending SoCon champion in the 3,000m Steeplechase, she ranks 35th in the event after recording a time of 10:16.36 at the Raleigh Relays.

Wilkes qualified in 31st place in the 5,000m with a PR of 15:54.45, which she posted at Wake Forest.

The top 12 finishers in each event advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held in Eugene, Oregon, June 11-14.

NCAA East Preliminaries - Furman Schedule/Results
Wednesday, May 28
Men's 10,000m Semifinals – Dylan Schubert -- 1st (29:00.47) 
Men's 10,000m Semifinals – Luke Taylor -- 37th (30:15.06) 
Men's 800m 1st Round - Matthew Smith -- DQ 

Thursday, May 29
Women's 10,000m Semifinal – Carly Wilkes -- 30th (34:24.75)

Friday, May 30
Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Quarterfinals – Carson Williams -- 5th (8:31.61)
Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Quarterfinals – Ethan Domitrovich -- 24th (8:57.67)

Saturday, May 31
Women's 3,000m Steeplechase Quarterfinals – 5:40 p.m. – Nicole Matysik
Women's 5,000m Semifinals – 8:10 p.m. – Carly Wilkes