Panthers finish 16th as Bayne advances to finals

Junior Elizabeth Bayne’s second-place finish in the women’s 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA… Junior Elizabeth Bayne’s second-place finish in the women’s 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA East Regional Championships this past weekend assured her a spot at the NCAA Championships.

Bayne finished with a time of 57.58 seconds, which was good enough for second place, behind South Carolina’s Tiffany Ross.

“My outlook on Elizabeth Bayne is positive because she is ranked eighth in the country,” head coach Alonzo Webb said. “She should be an All-American [and] she has the capability of placing higher than eighth.”

The women’s track and field team placed 16th overall and scored 11 points at the NCAA East Regionals, which were held in Fairfax, Va.

“We didn’t know what to expect, because this was the first time that [the] regional format was used.” Webb said.

Junior Melanie Carter and sophomore Tamara McGill also placed well.Carter finished eighth in the women’s triple jump, with a jump of 12.76 meters.

McGill finished eighth in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, with a time of 13.80 seconds.

Webb expects both McGill and Carter to qualify for the championship finals. He emphasized that they are also capable of placing well and becoming All-Americans.

The 4 x 400 relay team, which consists of juniors Nicole Vann and Trenace Elliot, along with sophomores Lamoy Stephens and Kimberly Lyles, finished seventh, with a time of 45.37 seconds.

The meet did not go as well on the men’s side. The team finished 51st while scoring one team point. Matt Brousse finished eighth in the men’s pole vault, with a vault of .91 meters.

The NCAA Championships will be held on June 10 in Sacramento, Calif. and will be an all-day event.

“I think that the program has made a turn for the better in a short amount of time,” Webb said. “It is evident by our performances in the last three championship meets. We look forward to next season and finishing a lot higher.”