Tulane Green Wave Track Prepares for NCAA East First Round Championships

The Tulane Green Wave track and field team is sending eight athletes to complete in the NCAA East First Round in Jacksonville, Fla., starting on Wednesday.

It’s the first step in the drive to reach the NCAA Track and Field Championships from June 11-14 at legendary Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Qualifiers from the two first-round events will qualify for the meet in Eugene. The other first round event is in College Station, Texas.

Events in Jacksonville are spread out across four days, with the final day set for Saturday. Action will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Green Wave Stars Competing in East First Round

On Wednesday, three Green Wave male runners will complete. Illia Kunin will run in the first round of the 1500 meters at approximately 5:30 central. Then, at approximately 8:10 p.m., Bernard Cheruiyot and Jack Jennings will run in the semifinals of the 10,000 meters.

Thursday marks the beginning of women’s action at the meet. Janae Dean will run first in the first round of the 800 meters at 6:50 p.m. She will be followed by Egbe Ndip-Agbor, who will run in the first round of the 200 meters at 7:45 p.m. Blezzin Kimutai wraps up the night with the first of her two events, the 5,000 meters semifinals at 8:10 p.m.

On Friday, Silas Kiptanui runs in his first event, the 3,000-meter steeplechase, at 4:40 p.m. He will also run in the 5,000 meters semifinals at 7:10 p.m. Cheruiyot will also run in the 5,000 meters. Kunin may also run on Friday in the 1,500 meters, if he gets past first-round qualifying. That race is set for 4:15 p.m.

Saturday’s schedule comes down to whether runners qualified earlier in the week. For instance, Dean and Ndip-Agbor will run again on Saturday if they advance to the quarterfinals for the 800 meters and 200 meters, respectively. Both races will be held in the 6 p.m. window.

Kimutai will run for the second time during the meet in the 5,000 meters semifinals at 7:10 p.m.

Also on Saturday, Kia Todd makes her only appearance in the meet as the Green Wave’s only field participant. She will compete in the triple jump at 1:30 p.m.

The Green Wave track and field team is coming off the American Athletic Conference outdoor championships, where the women finished fourth and the men finished seventh. Earlier this year the men and women combined to win the AAC indoor championship.