May 31, 2008

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Yale women's track and field team finished competition at the NCAA East Region Championships, hosted by Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla. in a tie for 43rd place with three points.

The Bulldogs' points came from freshman Kate Grace, who finished sixth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:07.48. Despite only the first five finishers being given guaranteed slots to go to NCAA Nationals (hosted this year by Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa), Grace has a very good chance of being awarded an "at large" bid, in which the seasons of the athletes who finished sixth through twelfth are reviewed and a few athletes are selected based on how these athletes have performed all season. Senior Lindsay Donaldson is eligible for an at-large bid as well, given her twelfth-place finish in the 5,000 meter run.

Senior Elizabeth Calle finished her stellar career as a Bulldog with a notable eighteenth-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:56.51. The team captain finished fifth in the first heat of the two-section final.

Whether or not Kate Grace and Lindsay Donaldson were given at-large bids to nationals will be decided by Tuesday, June 3. Should either of them be awarded with an invitation to nationals, they will compete next at the NCAA National Championships, starting June 11.

report by Ted Galligan '10, Yale Sports Publicity