GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Six Furman athletes in five events have qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships East Preliminaries, which will be hosted by Kentucky, May 27-30, at the UK Track & Field Complex in Lexington, Ky.

Sophomore Claire Cook has qualified in the women's 800m, and senior Camryn Wennersten will run in the women's 1,500m.  Both freshman Annie Miller and sophomore Jais Ward will compete in the women's 3,000m Steeplechase.  On the men's side, graduate Bryn Woodall will compete in the 1,500m, and graduate student Albert Velikonja will run in the 5,000m.  

All four Paladin women are making their first NCAA East Preliminary appearance.  A native of Austin, Texas, Cook recorded a personal-best time of 2:04.95 to take eighth place in the 800m at the Duke Twilight to qualify in 39th place.  Wennersten, who hails from Ridgewood, N.J., ranks 26th in the 1,500m after finishing fifth with a personal-best time of 4:14.56 at the Duke Invitational.

A native of Matthews, N.C., Miller won the SoCon 3,000m Steeplechase title earlier this month.  She qualified for the prelims after taking gold with a personal-best time of 10:13.12 at the Duke Invitational and currently ranks 35th in the East.  Ward, who hails from Columbia, S.C., finished second with a PR of 10:18.21 at the SoCon Championship to qualify in 46th place. 

Woodall, a native of Llanfairfechan, Wales, won the 1,500m title at the NAIA Championships each of the last two seasons while competing for Milligan.  The reigning SoCon champion in the event, he recorded a PR of 3:39.91 at the Charlotte Invitational and currently ranks 26th in the East Region.

Velikonja, a native of Montreal, Quebec, is making his first appearance at the NCAA East Preliminaries as a Furman athlete and his second overall.  He qualified in 19th place with a 5,000m personal-best time of 13:40.11, which he recorded at the Bryan Clay Invitational.  While competing for Dartmouth last season, Velikonja finished 16th in the 5,000m at the prelims. 

Furman will kick off competition at the East Preliminaries on Wednesday, May 27, with the first round of the men's 1,500m at 6:30 p.m.  The women's 1,500m first round is slated for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. followed by the 800m first round at 7:50 p.m.  On Friday, the semifinals of the men's 5,000m will commence at 8:10 p.m., and the women's 3,000m Steeplechase quarterfinals are slated for 5:40 p.m. on Saturday.

The top 12 finishers in each event will advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held in Eugene, Oregon, June 10-13.

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Wednesday 
Men's 1,500m 1st Round - 6:30 p.m. – Bryn Woodall

Thursday
Women's 1,500m 1st Round – 6:30 p.m. – Camryn Wennersten
Women's 800m 1st Round – 7:50 p.m. – Claire Cook

Friday
Men's 5,000m Semifinal  – 5:40 p.m. – Albert Velikonja

Saturday
Women's 3,000m Steeplechase Quarterfinals – 5:40 p.m. – Annie Miller & Jais Ward