The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Kirk, Tisher Set For NCAA Championships
6/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
June 10, 2014
Championship Central | Schedule | Live Results | Performance Lists
NCAA Championships Coverage: ESPN3 | ESPNU (Friday and Saturday)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UAB track and field athletes Elinor Kirk and Neal Tisher are set to open action at the 2014 Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which begin Wednesday and run through Saturday in Eugene, Ore.
Kirk and Tisher will be making their second appearances at the national meet. Kirk is set to compete in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter run, while Tisher will vault for a national title in pole vault.
"We are extremely excited to be heading to Eugene with two fantastic student-athletes representing UAB in the best way possible,” head coach Kurt Thomas said. “This is always a special trip to Eugene, Ore. and historic Hayward Field, and with Eli and Neal here ready to compete at their best, it should be a lot of fun.”
Kirk, the Swansea, Wales native, qualified for the championships in the 5K with a time of 15:53.93 at the NCAA East Prelims in Jacksonville, Fla. two weekends ago. That time gave her the win in her heat and is the top-seeded time entering the 5K. She ran a 33:55.60 at the prelims in the 10K to qualify, an event she holds the nation’s fastest mark in this season – a 32:17.05 that she ran at the Stanford Invite back in April.
“Eli starts us off on Thursday evening with her 10K,” Thomas said. “The weather here is usually ideal for distance events. Eli has been feeling good and ready to race at her best. We have big goals, but so do every other athlete here. We're with the best of the best and she is one of them, so we'll see what happens.”
Tisher, a UAB medical school student, just recently joined the 14-foot club at the Conference USA Championships with a record-breaking 4.28m (14-0 ½) performance. She topped out at 4.20m (13-9 ¼) at the NCAA East Prelims, which qualified her for the championships in Eugene.
“She's (Tisher) been jumping well in practice,” Thomas said. “We have a good game plan for everything and she's had lots of confidence and a great attitude towards what she can do, so we'll see how it plays out.”
Action at the University of Oregon begins on Wednesday at Hayward Field. Kirk will run her first race on Thursday, the 10K, at 7:15 p.m. PT/9:15 p.m. CT. Tisher is scheduled to vault at 3:15 p.m. PT/5:15 p.m. CT on Friday and Kirk will be back to close out the meet Saturday afternoon with the 5K at 3:24 p.m. PT/5:24 p.m. CT.
“We feel that with those two ladies, we have a chance to score some team points and be in the top-25 in the country,” Thomas said. “It's not always that easy, but we believe that when Eli and Neal are competing at their best, they can score points, and be some of the best in the entire NCAA.”
All of the action from Eugene will be available to watch live online at www.ESPN3.com or the WatchESPN app. Friday and Saturday’s coverage from Hayward Field will also stream live on ESPNU in addition to ESPN3.
All information regarding the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships can be found by clicking the links above, or by visiting www.NCAA.com or www.GoDucks.com.
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