May 26, 2016
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Four members of the Georgia Tech track & field team competed in the NCAA East Preliminary on Thursday night. Although there were some good performances, none of the competitors qualified for the NCAA Championships.
Bria Matthews, who set the school record in the long jump at the ACC Championships, narrowly missed a spot in the NCAAs. She finished 13th with a leap of 6.10m (20-0.25), needing to finish 12th or better to advance. Donjhae Jones also competed in the long jump, finishing 37th with a mark of 5.70m (18-8.5).
“It was disappointing to not get either jumper through to Eugene, but we’re proud of how both competed,” head women’s coach Alan Drosky said. “Donjhae has been struggling all season with a heel injury, and to get this far has been a great accomplishment. Bria suffered a pretty significant ankle sprain on Monday, and it’s a minor miracle she was able to jump at all today. To finish 13th and miss by one spot speaks volumes about her competitive spirit. Jenna Buehler, our athletic trainer, and Coach (Nat) Page deserve major credit for getting Bria ready to compete. Hopefully with a day of rest she’ll be ready for the triple jump on Saturday.”
On the men’s side, Andres Littig and Nathan Daniel put together some solid performances.
“I thought both Nathan and Andres competed well tonight,” head men’s coach Grover Hinsdale said. “Nathan came in as the last qualifier and ended up 21st. In the 800m, Andres got into one of the faster heats, fought hard, but came up a little short.”
Andres Littig finished 25th in the 800m prelims, less than half of a second from a spot in the finals. Nathan Daniel finishes 21st in the pole vault with a vault if 5.00m (16-4.75).
Spencer Allen will compete for the Jackets tomorrow in the 110m hurdles. He comes in ranked 48th nationally in the event with a time of 13.95. Results can be followed at http://on.ncaa.com/1szSuyj.
