RICHMOND, Va. – A trio of VCU Women's Track & Field athletes will represent the Rams in the NCAA East First Round May 27-30 at the UK Track & Field Complex in Lexington, Ky.
Junior
Blanca Pereira (Ourense, Spain) and freshman
Melissa Casiraghi (Agrate Brianza, Italy) have both qualified in the hammer throw, while redshirt senior
Sydney Carr (Woodbridge, Va.) will compete in the triple jump.
Each student-athlete qualified by recording a mark that ranked in the top 48 in the East Region in their respective events this spring. The top 12 in each event will advance out of the First Round and into the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. June 10-13.
Pereira will be making an appearance in the NCAA First Round for the second straight year. She is seeded 12
th in the East following a career-best mark of 63.70 meters at the Mount Olive Final Qualifier on May 9. She also captured the Atlantic 10 Conference Outdoor gold medal in the hammer on May 3.
Casiraghi will make her NCAA debut following a runner-up effort in the hammer at the A-10 Outdoor Championships. She later threw 60.62 meters at the Dani Palooza Last Chance Meet to further cement her spot in Lexington.
Pereira and Casiraghi will throw on Thursday, May 28 at 10 a.m.
Carr, who placed eighth in the triple jump at the A-10 Championships earlier this month, secured her First-Round berth with a leap of 12.73 meters earlier this year at the South Florida Invitational. The women's triple jump will be held on Saturday, May 30 at 6 p.m.