Princeton University Athletics
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Women's Track & Field Send Seven to NCAA East Regional
May 23, 2010 | Women's Track and Field
East Region Performance List
Live Results
PRINCETON, N.J. (5/23/10) - Seven members of the Princeton women's track & field team will participate in the 2010 NCAA East Regional it was announced by the NCAA on Friday, May 22.
The East Regional will be held at Aggie Stadium on the campus of North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C., on May 27-29.
The start list will be announced on Tuesday, May 25 at 2 p.m.
The seven Tigers competing are: freshman Mel Newbery, freshman Tory Worthen, sophomore Alex Banfich, junior Sarah Cummings, junior Ashley Higginson, junior Thanithia Billings and junior Emma Ruggiero.
Higginson and Cummings are the only two of the even who've competed in the NCAA Outdoors before. Higginson ran the 5000-meter in 2008 and the steeplechase in 2009, while Cummings ran the 10,000 last spring and earned All-America status in the event.
Cummings will tackle the 10,000 meters again in the East Regional. She ranks fifth amongst the runners in the East with a time of 33:55.91, recorded at the Mt. St. Relays in April. The 10,000-meter run will be held Thursday at 9:15 p.m.
Higginson takes on the steeplechase for the second straight year and will be joined by Newbery. Higginson ranks second regionally in the steeplechase with a time of 9:57.50 posted at the ECAC Championship last weekend. Newbery also recorded her best time at the ECACs at 10:25.59 to rank 12th in the East. The steeplechase will be run on Friday at 9:10 p.m.
The fourth distance runner competing at the East Regional is Banfich in the 5000. She has the third best time in the East region at 16:0040, a time she ran in April at the Mt. Sac Relays. Banfich will take on the 5000 on Saturday at 8:45 p.m.
The second of two freshmen competing is pole vaulter Worthen. She cleared 4.00 meters at the Ivy League Heptagonals and ranks 22nd in the region. She will become just the second Tiger in history to compete in the pole vault at the NCAAs. The qualifying round of the pole vault is scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m.
For the first time Princeton will compete in the hammer throw and shot put in NCAA Outdoor history. Both Ruggiero and Billings will compete in the hammer throw. Ruggiero has a mark of 58.83 to rank 15th in the East, while Billings has thrown to 54.62 in the event. The hammer throw event will take place on Friday at 11 a.m.
First up for Billings however will be the shot put on Thursday at 3 p.m. She threw to 15.26 meters at the Penn Relays for the 30th best mark in the East.