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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria;">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 27, 2017<o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria;">Contact- Brendan Sullivan (401) 865-1245<o:p></o:p></p>
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<b>Ilarda Qualifies for NCAA Outdoor Championships<o:p></o:p></b></p>
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<i>This is Ilarda’s second straight year qualifying for the finals of the NCAA Championships.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria;"><b>LEXINGTON, KY. –
</b>The Providence College track and field team competed at the NCAA First Round East Preliminary heat in Lexington, Ky. on Thursday, May 27. The Friar’s lone competitor on the day was junior Brianna Ilarda (Perth, Australia) in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria;">Ilarda, the third overall seed in the East Preliminary meet, went immediately to the front in the second of three heats of the steeplechase. After passing through the first 1,000 meters
in a blistering 3:14, only two other athletes remained with Ilarda in the front group. The pace would continue to be hot, as only Ilarda and a Michigan athlete remained together after 2,000 meters. Ilarda would end up finishing second with a time of 9:57.97.
The second place finish automatically earns her an automatic berth to the final round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. on June 6-10.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria;">The Friars finish up the first round of the NCAA Championships on Saturday, May 28. Millie Paladino (Morgantown, W. Va.) will race in the final of the 1,500 meters at 6:30 p.m. ET.
She will be followed by Catarina Rocha (Peabody, Mass.), Abbey Wheeler (Pine City, N.Y.) and Katie Lembo (Penfield, N.Y.) in the finals of the women’s 5,000 meters at 8:05 p.m. ET. The final Friar to race will be Julian Oakley in the men’s 5,000 meters at
8:45 p.m.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria;">To watch live, click
<a href="http://www.espn.com/watch/?id=3077691&_slug_=2017-ncaa-outdoor-track--field-championship" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">
here.</a> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria;">To follow along with live results, click
<a href="http://www.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/external/track-field/results/d1/outdoor17/east/index.htm" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">
here</a>. <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria;"><b>-GO FRIARS!-<o:p></o:p></b></p>
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