Men's 4x100 relay squad advance to NCAA Outdoor Track finals with 5th-place finish in prelims
DELAWARE — Four Ohio Northern men's track athletes teamed up to post a top 8 finish in the preliminary race of the 4x100 relay at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Ohio Wesleyan, Thursday afternoon at Selby Stadium.
That top 8 finish qualifies the Polar Bears for the opportunity to compete for the event final on Saturday, May 28 at 1:30 p.m.
Seniors Ryan Fleming (Maitland, Fla./Lyman) and Evan Heyman (Norwalk/Monroeville) along with junior Jacob Schwab (Williard/Monroeville) and freshman Francisque Pierre-Jerome (Lauderhill, Fla./South Plantation) finished the fifth overall in 41.24, the fastest time of the season for the relay squad.
"We set a goal to get to Saturday's race and we've accomplished that and it's a great feeling," says Fleming. "Evan Heyman and I, as seniors, set a goal to compete at this level and it's great to be one step closer to completing what we set to do."
A finish in the event final will earn the squad All-American status and tally the program's 30th outdoor All-American honor.
In addition to the 4x100 race, Fleming will also compete in the preliminary race in the 100-meter dash tomorrow (May 27) at 7:30 p.m.