NCAA

Baker, Tamrouti, Wakefield Punch Tickets to NCAA Outdoor Championships

Baker, Tamrouti, Wakefield Punch Tickets to NCAA Outdoor Championships


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duke track and field program locked down three more spots in the NCAA Outdoor Championships as the trio of senior Dana Baker and graduate students Ilhame Tamrouti and Isabel Wakefield punched their tickets to the national meet after strong outings in the women’s javelin and women’s long jump, respectively, Thursday at Hodges Stadium.
 
The first day of women’s regional action also saw the Blue Devils advance five individuals – freshmen Julia Jackson and Lauren Tolbert, sophomores Amina Maatoug and Megan McGinnis and senior Halle Bieber – to the Saturday quarterfinals of their respective events.
 
 
TOP PERFORMANCES

  • Dana Baker notched her second straight bid to nationals after coming through with a huge throw on her third and final attempt, launching the javelin 52.08m (170-10 feet) for the fourth-farthest throw of the East Regional.
  • Ilhame Tamrouti punched her ticket to the national meet for the second time in her career after using her first attempt to slot herself among the top 10. The Kampen, Netherlands product’s throw measured 48.92m (160-6 feet), checking in at eighth overall in the field.
  • Isabel Wakefield booked her spot in the NCAA Outdoor Championships following a top-five finish in the East Regional competition. On her initial jump, Wakefield flew out to 6.33m (20-9.25 feet) – good for a ticket to Austin and No. 5 among the field.
  • Halle Bieber kept her push for the NCAA Outdoor Championships intact as she advanced to the next round of the 100m and 200m via all-conditions seasons bests. She clocked 11.31 seconds in the 100m while the 200m saw Bieber dip under 23 seconds for the first time in her career and finish second in her heat with a dash of 22.97 seconds to earn the automatic qualifier.
  • Megan McGinnis and Julia Jackson continued their breakout seasons as each earned automatic qualifiers to Saturday’s quarterfinal in the 400m after finishing second and third, respectively, in their heats. McGinnis turned in a time of 52.36 seconds – No. 4 in the first-round race, while Jackson finished in 53.03 seconds.
  • The Blue Devils picked up their fourth automatic qualifier of the day via Lauren Tolbert in the 800m. Tolbert advanced to the quarterfinal behind a run of 2:05.15 – good for third in her heat and No. 7 in the prelims.
  • Taking part in the…

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