Four Look to Qualify for NCAA Championship on Friday

Colin Bennie became the first member of the Orange to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championship on Thursday. Four more members of the Orange have a chance on Friday, while three others will race to qualify for Saturday's quarterfinals. The NCAA Championship is June 7-10 in Eugene, Oregon.

The first Orange ticket to nationals is punched. See you in Eugene, Colin! pic.twitter.com/yCzJ6IuGSf
— Syracuse XC/Track (@CuseXCTF) May 26, 2017

Women's 100H (4:30 p.m.)
- Tia Thevenin enters the 100-meter hurdles as the No. 23 seed with a time of 13.39 seconds, while teammate Danielle Delgado owns the 46th seed in 13.58 seconds.
- Thevenin's seed time was set at the Big Red Outdoor Invitational earlier this season – which is her personal-best time. Delgado set her time at the same meet in what was also a personal best.
- Thevenin is coming off a sixth-place finish at the ACC Championship, while Delgado placed 12th. Delgado will also compete in the 400-meter hurdles quarterfinal later this evening.
- Purdue's Devynne Charlton is the top-seed in the meet with a time of 12.67 seconds.
- There will be six heats this afternoon, with the top-three from each heat plus the next-six fastest times overall advancing to Saturday's quarterfinal round. Thevenin will race in the first heat, while Delgado will be in the fifth.

Men's 110-meter hurdles (5 p.m.)
- Standout senior Freddie Crittenden III looks to return to Eugene for the fourth-straight season and enters as the No. 3 seed in the east in the 110-meter hurdles.
- He posted a school-record and personal best time at the Miami Hurricane Alumni Invitational (13.42), which was third in the world at the time, earlier this season.
- Chad Zallow (13.37) of Youngstown State and NCAA Indoor Champion Grant Holloway (13.42) of Florida are the lone two ahead of Crittenden in seed times.
- There will be six heats this afternoon, with the top-three from each heat plus the next-six fastest times overall advancing to Saturday's quarterfinal round. Crittenden will race in the fourth heat on Friday.

Women's 400-meter hurdles (7 p.m.)
- Delgado will have the first opportunity of the Orange to punch her ticket to Eugene.
- After qualifying for the quarterfinal with a time of 59.41 seconds – which was third in her heat and good for an automatic spot in today's quarterfinal – on Thursday, Delgado has the 15th-best time at the meet heading into today's race.
- The quarterfinal will be 24 athletes running in three heats, with the top-three from each heat plus the next-three fastest times qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Eugene.
- Delgado will race in the third heat.

Check out the highlights from day one at the NCAA East Prelim: https://t.co/OTd6EiiTdz
— Syracuse XC/Track (@CuseXCTF) May 26, 2017

Women's 3000-meter steeplechase (8:20 p.m.)
- Paige Stoner (No. 9 seed) and Sydney Leiher (No. 35 seed) will look to qualify for the NCAA Championship in Friday's NCAA Quarterfinal.
- Stoner – who is coming off a podium finish at the ACC Championship in the event – where she took third in 10:06.98, set her seed time at the meet. The time is also her personal best.
- Leiher placed seventh at the ACC Championship in the steeple, where she also set her seed time in 10:23.38.
- The steeplechase quarterfinals will be run in three heats of 16, with the top-three from each heat plus the next-three fastest times advancing to Eugene.

Men's 3000-meter steeplechase (9 p.m.)
- Aidan Tooker makes his NCAA Prelims debut, with the freshman owning the No. 21 seed in the 3000-meter steeplechase.
- He set his mark of 8:54.01 at the Virginia Challenge, and narrowly missed besting it when he ran a 8:54.85 during a runner-up finish at the ACC Championship.
- Furman's Troy Reeder owns the top-seed in the event with a time of 8:40.57.