For Immediate Release April 3, 1999
Casey Smith Runs Provisional Qualifier in 5,000
Sophomore's 18:00.60 Breaks Her Own School Record
LEXINGTON, Va.--Roanoke College’s Casey Smith (Mechanicsville, VA/Atlee), a member of the track & field team, ran a NCAA provisional qualifying time of 18:00.60 in the 5,000 meter run at the Duke University Invitational this weekend. Smith, who finished the race in 21st position, but was the top Division III runner, broke the school record that she had set just last weekend. Her run this weekend was nearly 11 seconds better then the previous school record. The NCAA Division III women’s provisional qualifying time is 18:05.54. If the field that automatically qualifies for the race at the national championships is not large enough, the runners with the top provisional qualifying times will be added. Smith would become the first Roanoke College outdoor track & field distance runner to qualify for the NCAA championships in the past nine years.
In other action at this weekend’s invitational, sophomore Emily Hollett (Roanoke, VA/Northside) took home a 17th place finish in the triple jump, leaping a distance of 34’ 9 3/4”. Of the 16 athletes that finished ahead of Hollett, only one was a member of a Division III school.
The team of Jenny Cook (Broadway, VA/Broadway), Shelli Stevens (Blacksburg, VA/Blacksburg), Sindy Wilson (Suitland, MD/St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes), and Hollett finished the 4x100 meter relay in a season-best 51.52.
On the men’s side, senior David Angell (Boones Mill, VA/Franklin County) ran a season-best 5,000 meters, crossing the line in 15:58.85 which was almost nine seconds better than his previous best this year. Blake Dalton (Gretna, VA/Altavista) and Laurence Loesel (Roanoke, VA/Cave Spring) both ran personal bests in the 1,500 meters. Dalton completed the race with a time of 4:12.75, while Loesel was not far behind at 4:13.30.
Brian Gully (Sterling, MA/Washusett) broke his seaosn-best mark in the 800-meters, recording a time of 1:58.40, besting his old mark of 2:01.46.