Farquharson, Saunders & Relay Teams Regional Bound
May 19 | Women's Track & Field
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Senior Gabrielle Farquharson (Williamstown, N.J.), sophomore Bria Saunders (Parsippany, N.J.) and both the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams are bound for the NCAA East Regional in Jacksonville, Florida, it was announced on Thursday by the NCAA.
The NCAA East Regional hosted by North Florida will take place May 26-28 and will be the qualifier for the NCAA Championships hosted by Oregon at historic Hayward Field on June 8-11.
Farquharson will compete in the 100m, 200m and long jump, while Saunders will race in the 200m. Both will join Chamique Francis (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Phyllis Gordon (Neptune, N.J.) and Alayna Famble (Stockbridge, Ga.) in the relays.
Farquharson is coming off medaling in three of her regional events at the Big Ten Championship. Farquharson was the Big Ten Champion in the 100m (11.43), while she brought home silver in the long jump (6.37m/20' 10.75") and bronze in the 200m (23.07). She is currently ranked eighth nationally in the long jump and holds the Rutgers school record in three of the five events she will be competing in - the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
Saunders, who was named Rutgers' Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree earlier this week, set a new personal best in the 200m at the Big Ten Championships. She crossed the finish line in a time of 23.74.
The 4x100m relay team took fourth at the Big Ten Championships and produced a new school record. The quartet finished with a time of 44.46 and surpassed the previous RU record of 44.71 set in 2013 at the NCAA East Regional. The members of the 2013 East Regional squad, which included Farquharson and former Scarlet Knights Asha Ruth, Corryn Hurrington and Tylia Gillon would later earn Second Team All-America status at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The 4x400m relay team posted its best time of the season - 3:38.23 - with a runner-up showing at the Georgia Tech Invitational in late April.
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-RU-
