The George Mason track and field teams will open competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships East First Round, held May 27 through May 30 at the University of Kentucky Track & Field Complex in Lexington, Ky.
For each individual event contested at the First Round sites, the top 48 declared student-athletes earned entry into the competition. Qualifying marks were based on each competitor’s top performance in each event this outdoor season. Athletes who finish among the top 12 in their respective events will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Seven Patriots were officially selected last week to compete at the NCAA East First Round. The athletes and their events are: Abby Weening (women’s high jump, seeded 11th with a mark of 1.82m), Kennedy Drish (women’s pole vault, seeded 12th with a mark of 4.33m), Davian Burke (men’s 110m hurdles, seeded 31st with a time of 13.80), Walt Bannerman (men’s pole vault, seeded 32nd with a mark of 5.27m), Kellen La Roche (men’s high jump, seeded 39th with a mark of 2.12m), Alex DeRoussel (men’s 3000m steeplechase, seeded 42nd with a time of 8:50.29), and Ella Semple (women’s 5000m run, seeded 42nd with a time of 15:58.44).
Alex DeRoussel, Ella Semple, Abby Weening and freshman Kellen La Roche will make their first appearances at this stage of competition. Walt Bannerman and sophomore Davian Burke have qualified for back-to-back regional championship meets.
Last season, Bannerman advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, where he finished among the top fifteen nationally to earn All-America honors. Kennedy Drish also returns to this round after qualifying in the previous year for her first appearance representing George Mason.
All four days of competition will be available for streaming on ESPN+. Fans can follow live results through an online results website.
