SPORTS BRIEF: Three Top 20 Finishes Highlight Five-Athlete Trip to Regionals

Harvard track and field sent five student-athletes down to Florida State University’s Mike Long Track on Friday and Saturday for the 2008 NCAA East Regional Championships.

Junior high jumper Becky Christensen highlighted the Crimson effort, clearing an outdoor season-best 1.81 meters—she tied her career-best jump of 1.83 meters at the indoor NCAA Championships in March—en route to a fourth-place finish and an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships on June 11-14 in Des Moines, Iowa. Saturday’s jump came on her third attempt and marks Christensen’s third consecutive outdoor NCAA qualifier.

Sophomore Eda Karesin and freshman Jessica Fronk rounded out the women’s side, both competing in the javelin event. Karesin’s 41.96-meter throw on her third attempt notched her a 17th spot, while Fronk’s 41.26-meter toss put her at 21st, just a centimeter away from finishing in the top 20.

For the men, freshman Dan Chenoweth’s 14:31.59 finish in the 5000-meter run earned him 14th and sophomore Justin Grinstead’s 55.06 time in the 400-meter hurdles preliminaries wasn’t enough to claim a spot in the finals race.

—Staff writer Dixon McPhillips can be reached at fmcphill@fas.harvard.edu.