For the first time in program history, the Binghamton men’s and women’s track and field teams will send multiple competitors to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Representing the men will be senior middle-distance runner Jesse Garn. Sophomore jumper Keishorea Armstrong clinched a berth in the finals at last week’s NCAA East Regional Meet, hosted at the University of North Florida.
Garn won the first of three 800-meter heats with the seventh-fastest overall time of 1 minute, 47.21 seconds. Armstrong, who competed in both the triple jump and the long jump, placed sixth in the latter with a jump of 20 1/2. She is the first female Bearcat in the program’s Division I era to advance to the national championships.
This is not the first time on a national stage for Garn, however. The senior competed at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in March, but was disqualified for a false start in the preliminary round of the 800-meter race.
Garn’s and Armstrong’s appearances at the outdoor NCAA championships are set to be the first for BU since 2012. That year, graduate Erik van Ingen earned his second consecutive All-American honors in the 1,500-meter race.
The championships are set to take place June 10-13 at the University of Oregon. The finals of the women’s long jump, set to feature Armstrong, are scheduled for Thursday, June 11. The men’s 800-meter event, in which Garn is set to compete, is scheduled for Friday, June 12. All events are scheduled to take place at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.