PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Redshirt junior
Taj Burgess (400m) and redshirt senior
Perry Christie (High Jump) have punched their tickets to the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships. Burgess and Christie qualify in their respective events for the second straight season.
The championships, hosted by the University of Arkansas, will be held March 11-13 at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This is a closed event and fans will not be allowed in attendance. The high jump finals are set for Friday, March 12 starting at 11:30 a.m. The 400m semifinal will take place on Friday at 2:25 p.m. with the finals scheduled for Saturday, March 13 at 2:20 p.m. Live results will be available at
NCAA.com and
FlashResults.com.
Live championship coverage will be streamed on ESPN3. Additional details on times of the live ESPN3 coverage will be forthcoming. A re-air of the championship will take place starting at 9 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, March 14 on ESPNU.
Burgess clocked a personal-best time of 45.82 in the 400m, collecting bronze at the Big Ten Indoor Championships and setting the second-fastest time in Rutgers history. It marked the first indoor medal for Burgess and his third overall after earning silvers in the 400-meter and 4x400-meter relay outdoors. The Jersey City, New Jersey, native is one of only three Big Ten runners in the event, as his qualifying time ranks 12th in the nation this season. He becomes the fifth Scarlet Knight to qualify for the event and the third to do so in multiple seasons.
Christie cleared a height of 2.18m (7' 1.75") in the high jump at the 2021 Big Ten Indoor Championships, claiming the conference title and earning a spot at NCAAs. It marked his second medal in the high jump, having also claimed bronze at the 2020 indoor conference championships. He is the only Big Ten representative to qualify in the event, ranking 10th in the nation this year. Christie, the school record holder for the indoor high jump with a mark of 2.23m (7' 3.75"), becomes the first Scarlet Knight to qualify for the high jump in back-to-back seasons and the third to qualify in the event overall. The East Orange, New Jersey, native was named the
2021 USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Field Athlete of the Year for his performances this indoor season.
The duo of Burgess and Christie made history when they set the record for most individual competitors for the Rutgers men's team to qualify for the same NCAA Championship, earning spots at 2020 indoors. The pair adds to that history establishing two individual competitors for the second straight year.
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