[Pcalumnixctrack] Brianna Ilarda Crowned BIG EAST 3, 000-Meter Steeplechase Champion

[Laura A Nagel]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 13, 2016
Contact: Laura Nagel, 401-865-1245

Brianna Ilarda Crowned BIG EAST 3,000-Meter Steeplechase Champion
Brianna Ilarda highlighted day one of the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships with her first BIG EAST individual title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

GENEVA, Ohio - The Providence College men's and women's track teams competed at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio today (May 12) for day one of the 2016 BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

To kick-off the meet, senior Julian Oakley (Tauranga, New Zealand) and freshmen Aisling Quinn (Waterford, Ireland), Nick Carleo (Newburyport, Mass.) and Michael O'Leary (Melville, N.Y.) each advanced to the finals of the 1,500 meters. Oakley was an automatic qualifier after he finished second in heat one, while Carleo and O'Leary each advanced on time. Quinn also advanced on time in the women's 1,500 meters after clocking in at a seasons-best 4:35.90. The women's final is scheduled for a 1:20 p.m. start tomorrow, followed by the men at 1:30 p.m.

Sophomore Brian Zied (Glen Rock, N.J.) finished third in the first of two heats in the 110 meter hurdles. Zied crossed the line in a personal best time of 15.74 to advance to the final for the second consecutive year. Zied also qualified for the finals of the 400 meter hurdles after running a time of 57.43 to advance on time. The men's 110 meter hurdle final is set for a 1:50 p.m. start tomorrow, while the 400 meter hurdles will begin at 3:10 p.m.

To highlight the evening, sophomore Brianna Ilarda (Perth, Australia) dominated the women's 3,000 meter steeplechase to come away with her first BIG EAST title. Ilarda finished 32 seconds ahead of second-place in a time of 9:59.54, which marked a personal-best and her first time under 10 minutes in the event. Ilarda also was just one second shy of the BIG EAST women's 3,000-meter steeplechase meet record (9:58.26) that was set by former Friar Roisin McGettigan in 2003. Junior Keelin Hollowood (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) also ran a career-best 10:37.69 for fourth-place in the steeplechase to pick up an additional five points for Providence.

In the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, graduate-student Jordan Mann (St. Louis, Mo.) captured a third-place finish for the Friars, battling down the homestretch with two Hoyas. Mann crossed the line in a time of 8:56.94.

Sophomore Katie Lembo (Penfield, N.Y.) made her debut in the women's 10,000 meters. As the race opened up, Lembo and Butler's Olivia Pratt took charge and got away from the field. Lembo finished the race as the BIG EAST runner-up in the event with a time of 34.36.66.

To cap off the evening, the men's 10,000 meter runners stepped onto the track. The race remained bunched up until the 1400-meter mark where Georgetown's Jonathan Green made a move. Junior Trevor Crawley (Cumberland, R.I.) held his position to come away with third-place (31:09.48), while senior Christian Costello (Ridgewood, N.J.) made his way up the field and charged down the home straight to finish fourth (31:09.81).

The Friars will return to the SPIRE Institute tomorrow for the second and final day of the BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships, beginning at 1:00 p.m. The event will be streamed live on the BIG EAST Digital Network via the FoxSportsGO app on a mobile device or tablet. Using a laptop or desktop computer, please navigate to www.FoxSportsGO.com<http://www.foxsportsgo.com/>. Fans can also follow @FriarsXCTrack on Twitter for live updates.

Live Results Link<http://timerhub.com/get_web_index.php?page=lightningtiming.com/results/20160513/> | FoxSportsGo<https://www.foxsportsgo.com/>

- GO FRIARS -



Laura Nagel
Athletic Media Relations Graduate Assistant
Providence College
1 Cunningham Square
Providence, R.I. 02918
(c) 401-527-2661
(o) 401-865-1245
<http://cargocollective.com/lauranagel>Online Portfolio<https://www.behance.net/lauraanagel>
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