The NCAA Track and Field East Preliminary Round came to a close over the weekend in Jacksonville, Florida. Multiple Panthers had solid performances, but the weekend was headlined by the Pitt men’s 4x400m relay team earning a bid to the NCAA Outdoor Championships after finishing No. 7 overall at the event.

The event was delayed for a short period of time when the lights in the stadium went out during the second heat of the men’s 4x400m relay, as the runners were forced to finish the race under the spectators’ cell phone flashlights. Eventually the event staff was able to fix the problem prior to the Panthers putting on their finest performance of the season.

The foursome of senior Cobe Wiggins, senior Lonzell Feagin, junior Matt Wilson and senior Ade Jones-Roundtree were able to qualify for the national meet after posting an impressive time of 3:06.92 — a season-best mark and fifth-fastest in program history.

All four athletes will make their debut at the NCAA Outdoor Championships after becoming the first Pitt relay team to claim a spot in the national meet since 2014 when Micah Murray, Carvin Nkanata, Desmond Palmer and Brycen Spratling finished No. 11 overall in the 4x400m.

Other standout performances from the Eastern Preliminary Round included senior Ally Brunton finishing No. 17 overall in the 1500m and junior Editta Pessima coming in at No. 23 in both the 100m and 400m hurdles, as well as sophomore Lydia Bottelier coming in at No. 30 in the women’s high jump. All three had a chance to qualify for the Outdoor Championships, but fell just short as their incredible seasons came to a close.

The three-day event will be hosted by the University of Oregon in Eugene and will begin on June 9. The Pitt relay team is scheduled to race at 11:18 PM EST on the first day of the event. The Panthers will look to make history in Eugene as they have the opportunity to compete amongst the nation’s best.