Results
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary Round got underway on Thursday with two Manhattan College athletes in action at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium. With berths at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at stake, Phil Ragan (Belmar, N.J.) competed in the men's javelin and Lydia Wehrli (Anieres, Switzerland) took part in the women's hammer throw for the second straight year.
Ragan was up first, and he uncorked a toss of 56.92 meters (186 feet, nine inches) on his first attempt. That would prove to be his best effort, as he ended up 42nd of 48 competitors.
The women's hammer throw started at the same time as the men's javelin, but Wehrli was in the second flight, which would be delayed for more than two hours due to a thunderstorm. Once the competition resumed, Wehrli got out to a distance of 54.81 m (179'10) on her first attempt. However, she was unable to improve on this mark and placed 34th overall. The top 12 finishers in each event advanced to the National Championships, which will be held at the University of Oregon from June 11-14.
Two more Jaspers will get their shot at qualifying for Nationals on Friday. Love Litzell (Ostersund, Sweden) and Blerim Pocesta (Staten Island, N.Y.) are both entered in the men's hammer throw, which gets underway at 10 a.m.
