Obiora Okeke, Phoebe Anderson Punch Tickets to NCAA Championships

Wednesday, May 22

Lexington, Ky.

3:00 p.m.

Columbia University

NCAA Outdoor Prelims

Obiora Okeke, Phoebe Anderson Punch Tickets to NCAA Championships

5/25/2024 11:00:00 PM | Track and Field

Full Results

Anderson finished 6th in 5000m, Okeke placed 9th in discus at NCAA East Regionals

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Obiora Okeke and Phoebe Anderson punched tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships this weekend at the NCAA East Regionals hosted by the University of Kentucky.

The pair needed a top-12 finish in their respective events to qualify for a spot in the finals in Eugene, Oregon. Anderson did so in the semifinals of the 5000m, placing sixth with a time of 15:35.80. Okeke came through with a ninth-place finish in the first round of the discus with a mark of 56.80m.

Anderson will make her second NCAA Championship appearance, after running in the finals of the indoor 5k earlier this year and finishing in 10th place. This will be her first outdoor appearance, after missing last year's NCAA Championship final in the 5000m by less than half a second. She finished in 15th place at last year's East Regional with a time of 16:04.54, while the last qualifying spot was taken by Faith Demars of Penn State who clocked in at 16:04.06.

This will mark Okeke's first appearance at the NCAA Championships.

The results for the entire weekend can be found HERE, including the times from every Lion competing in Lexington.

Okeke and Anderson will advance to compete in the discus and 5000m, respectively, at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The meet is set to begin on Wednesday, June 5 and will run through Saturday, June 8.

The finals for the men's discus will be at 8:35 p.m. on Friday.

The finals for the women's 5000m will be at 7:25 p.m. on Saturday

COLUMBIA NCAA EASTERN REGIONAL RESULTS
Women
1500m: Nikki Vanasse (34th - 4:23.90)
5000m: Phoebe Anderson (6th - 15:35.80) (TICKET PUNCHED!)
3000m Steeplechase: Elia Ton-That (31st - 10:35.04)
10k: Mary Caroline Heinen (DNF)

Men
800m: Justin O'Toole (36th - 1:51.08)
1500m: Michael Danzi (28th - 3:45.28)
10k: Talha Syed (33rd - 30:22.04)
10k: Charlie Siebert (27th - 30:01.59)
Long Jump: Joshua Adams (40th - 7.00m)
Shot Put: Obiora Okeke (40th - 17.32m)
Discus: Obiora Okeke (9th - 56.80m) (TICKET PUNCHED!)

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