Although the school year has been long over for students, one Bobcat is still left competing for Ohio.
Having had one of the top 48 results in the East Region, Juli Accurso, a junior, qualified for the NCAA East Regional in Greensboro, N.C., this weekend. Accurso will compete in the 5000-meters and 10000-meters. The meet will determine the top 12 athletes in each event for the NCAA championship in Eugene, Ore., at the beginning of June.
Although the NCAA hasn’t released the official qualifying list until last week, Accurso had known for a long time that she will compete in the regional, as her time of 33:52.33 minutes in the 10000-meters, ran at the Stanford Invitational in April, was once ranked 16th in the country. At the regional her time is good enough for a seed in 12th. If she were to finish according to her seed, the junior would advance to the NCAA championship for the first time in her career.
After competing in the longest race in track and field on Thursday, the junior will take on the 5000-meters two days later. Accurso is the current Mid-American Conference champion in the event and is ranked 23rd at the regional with a time of 16:21.56 minutes.
Update
Alexis Geiger also qualified for the meet in the long jump. The senior was originially seeded in 53rd with a jump of 6.05-meters (19ft 10.25in) and is only allowed to compete because of a late scratch. This is the first time Geiger has qualified for the regional.
am794811@ohiou.edu
