LEXINGTON, Ky. – VCU junior Blanca Pereira had a 14th place finish in the hammer throw while freshman Melissa Casiraghi placed 21st at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East First Round Thursday at the UK Track Complex.
 
Pereira threw 61.85m in her 14^th place finish, the third best throw of her career. Pereira narrowly missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships as 12^th place finished ahead of her by just 0.19m. It caps an impressive junior season for Pereira who won gold in the A-10 Outdoor Championships Hammer Throw.

Casiraghi threw 60.13m to place 21st on Thursday, the second-best mark of her career. It marked the highest finish by a VCU freshman in at least 15 seasons. Casiraghi capped off her freshman outdoor season in which she took home silver at the A-10 Outdoor Championships in the hammer throw.