Boyd Qualifies for NCAA Championships in 10,000m

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May 26, 2016

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-Junior Cleo Boyd advanced to the NCAA Championships in the 10,000 meters as the Virginia women’s track and field team opened action at the NCAA East Preliminaries Thursday (May 26) at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.

At the preliminary meet, each individual event (excluding the heptathlon and decathlon) has 48 competitors, while relays have 24 teams. The top 12 from every event will move on to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, to be held in Eugene, Ore., on June 8-11.

Boyd (Kingston, Ontario) finished seventh in the 10,000 meters in a time of 34:25.69 to qualify for the national meet.

“I felt really good about the race,” Boyd said. “It felt steady and I feel I can do a little bit more than that, so I am really excited to race in Eugene in two weeks and give it my all.”

“Cleo ran a smart and controlled effort,” UVA distance coach Todd Morgan said. “She was patient early and tough when it was time to dial things in. We are excited to get her to Eugene.”

Redshirt freshman Mia Barron (Minnetonka, Minn.) finished 26th in the long jump with a mark of 5.93m (19′ 5.5″) on her third and final attempt.

In the 400m hurdles, junior Heather Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) placed 35th in 59.98, while graduate student Aisha Naibe-Wey (London, England) was 48th in 1:04.69.

Senior Peyton Chaney (Belleville, Ill.) finished 45th in the 100 meters in 11.96.

The meet continues Friday at noon and continues through Saturday. The Cavaliers will have sophomore Carter Green (Ashland, Pa.) in the discus, sophomore Bridget Guy (Greensburg, Pa.) in the pole vault, Chaney in the 200 meters and graduate student Iona Lake (Norwich, England) in the 3,000m steeplechase.