2015 NCAA East Preliminary Championships Performance List
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (5/21/2015) -- University of Detroit Mercy senior
Colin Cashner and sophomore
Khalil Parris have each officially earned spots for the 2015 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary Championships after the field was announced by the NCAA on Thursday afternoon.
Colin Cashner (St. Louis, Mo. / St. Mary's) ranked among the national leaders all season in the hammer throw after breaking the school record. Cashner, the 2015 Horizon League Men's Outdoor Athlete of the Year, earned a spot in the top 48 and has the No. 14 throw in the East Region entering competition at the NCAA Preliminary Championships. Cashner is also No. 24 in the country in the hammer throw.
Cashner's top throw of the season reached 65.84 meters (216' 0"), when he set an event record in winning the event at the Penn Relays. In all, Cashner won the hammer five times during the season, reaching at least 62 meters in all of his wins.
It's the second straight year that Cashner has qualified as he earned a spot alongside men's track and field teammate
Eric Lewis in 2014.
Khalil Parris (Windsor, Ont. / Sandwich) used a last chance qualifier to earn a spot in the field of 48 in the 400-meter hurdles. Parris shattered the Horizon League and school record in the event with a time of 51.02 at the Gregory Final Qualifier at North Central College. He has the No. 15 time in the 400-meter hurdles in the East Region and 33rd-best time nationally.
He cut 1.65 seconds off his previous best time of 52.67 in the event, which he had set at the 2015 Horizon League Outdoor Championships on May 2.
It's the first time that Parris has qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships. The sophomore began the season with a 400m hurdles time of 58.70 at the Winthrop Invitational and trimmed more than seven seconds off that time to break the 17-year school record. It was also the best time in the HL since 1998.
Both Cashner and Parris will look to reach the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships wth their performances at the East Preliminaries. The 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary Championships are set for May 28-30 in Jacksonville, Fla. The meet is being hosted by the University of North Florida.
