NCAA Championship Central
Brooklyn, N.Y. - Senior
Julius Mutekanga and freshman
Brian Richards of the Long Island University men's track and field team competed at the NCAA Track and Field Championships East Region Preliminaries hosted by North Carolina A&T at Irwin Belk Track in Greensboro, N.C., on May 27. Mutekanga competed in the 800-meter run, while Richards took part in the long jump.
Mutekanga finished fourth in his heat in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:50.16. The top three finishers in each heat and the next six best times advanced to the quarterfinals. Mutekanga, the LIU record-holder and two-time Northeast Conference champion in the event, narrowly missed out on advancing by finishing just .01 out of the third-spot in his heat. Mutekanga earned sixth-place at the ECAC/IC4A Championships on May 15-16 with a time of 1:49.42 to edge his own school-record in the 800-meter race.
Richards placed 27th in the long jump with a mark of 7.34 meters. The top 12 jumpers advanced to Eugene, Ore., for the track and field championship finals. The NEC Most Outstanding Rookie Performer at the outdoor championships, Richards is the conference champion and set the LIU mark in the event at the Penn Relays with a leap of 7.64 meters.
The East Region Preliminaries continue on May 28 and 29 before the top finishers advance to Eugene, Ore., for the finals on June 9-12.