Andy Biladeau Qualifies for NCAA Track Championships

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May 31, 2006

First-year harrier Andy Biladeau, the ACC’s Cross Country Freshman of the Year, qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 5000m run and will join four teammates at the 2006 NCAA Championships in Sacramento, California. Biladeau will join fellow ACC Champions Soeren Lindner and Jan Foerster, both of whom will compete in the steeplechase, as well as 2005 All-American Billie Jo Grant, who will throw the shot put, and Virginia record holder Erin Crawford, who will compete in the intermediate hurdles.

Lindner and Foerster both ran season bests at the NCAA East Regional last weekend, with Foerster running a personal-best time by over six seconds to qualify automatically for the steeple. The semifinals for the event at NCAAs are at 7:25 (PT) on Wednesday, June 7. These two will run just before Biladeau, whose 5K race is scheduled to start at 8:30 (PT) on Wednesday.

On Thursday (June 8) two Virginia women will compete as school record holder Erin Crawford will race in the first round of the 400 intermediate hurdles at 4:10 (PT), while All-American Billie Jo Grant will compete in the shot put at 8:30 (PT). Both women are coming off top-five performances from the NCAA East Regional, granting them both automatic qualifying berths into the national meet.