LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Sycamores meant business when they stepped on the track Friday, as Taylor Austin and Alethia Marrero both punched their tickets for the national meet in Oregon after a stellar Day Two of the 2017 NCAA East Region Prelims.
Austin ran a phenomenal race in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to earn her trip to Oregon as an automatic qualifier, holding off Kentucky's Katy Kunc for the crucial third spot in Heat Three and finishing eighth overall. Austin stayed near the top of the pack for most of the race – which was won by national leader Elinor Purrier of New Hampshire at a new facility record of 9:50.