JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Two more George Mason track and field
athletes punched their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field
Championships after competing at day two of the NCAA East Region Championships
on the campus of the University of North Florida on Friday.
Junior David Verburg continued to top the 400m dash, earning
his ticket to the national championships after winning the event in a time of
45.08, just .02 shy of his top performance of the season at the CAA
Championships at the beginning of this month.
The other individual qualifier was junior Mandissa Marshall,
who advanced to contend for a national title after tying for the top finish in
the women's pole vault with a height of 4.10m. Marshall shared the regional
title with Sandi Morris of North Carolina.
Sophomore Adrian Vaughn advanced to compete in the
quarterfinals of the 200m dash tomorrow, finishing second in his heat and 15th
overall in the first round with a time of 20.82, a season-best time.
Two Patriots competed on day two but did not advance in the
competition. Senior Cierra McGee just missed advancing to nationals, placing 13th
with a season and personal-best time of 52.80, 0.02 behind the final qualifier.
The time is also the third fastest in program history.
Senior Lavell Handy also finished short of advancing, placing
14th in the triple jump with a distance of 15.47m.
Action concludes at the East Championship tomorrow with Adrian
Vaughn in the 200m, senior Everett Hackett in the 500m, and both the men's and
women's 4x400m relays.
