Three Dukes Advance to Postseason at NCAA East Preliminary Meet

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Sophomore jumpers Kennedy King and Ebony Owusu-Sampah along with junior distance runner Kathleen Stewart were announced Thursday as qualifiers for the NCAA East Preliminary Meet to be held May 28-30 in Jacksonville, Fla.

King and Owusu-Sampah will each compete in the long jump with Owusu-Sampah ranked 27^th in the event with a mark of 6.15 meters and King right behind in 32^nd at 6.13 meters. Stewart is ranked 32^nd in the 5,000-meter run with a seeded time of 16:21.41.

Head Coach Cheree Hicks said, "We are excited to be taking three student-athletes to the best competition in the country. We look forward to continuing the success that we've had this season, and this gives us the opportunity to extend our season."

Owusu-Sampah qualified on her final jump of the season at the ECAC Championships on May 16. She had multiple jumps during the season just under six feet, including a wind-aided leap of 5.95 meters at the Colonial Relays, before then placing third in the event at the CAA Championships at 5.86 meters. At ECACs, she had three jumps between 5.98 and 6.03 to place her near the front of the pack heading into her final leap. She hit a personal best with a jump of 6.15 meters on her final attempt, good for second best in JMU history and placing her in the NCAA field.

King, who also competes as a sprinter for the Dukes, hit her qualifying mark at the CAA Championships in Williamsburg on May 1. Her season-best jump had been 5.67 meters heading into the CAA competition. At the CAA meet, she took the lead in the event with a leap of 5.89 meters before then blowing away the field for a gold medal with a final jump of 6.13 meters, a personal record and the second-best jump at JMU until Owusu-Sampah surpassed the mark at ECACs.

Stewart, an All-CAA performer in both track and cross country, had run the 5K just once during the outdoor season with a mark of 16:51.35 at the Colonial Relays. On May 1 at the CAA Championships, she pushed into the lead pack and finished second in 16:21.41, topping the previous CAA meet record and moving into third in JMU history with her silver-medal performance. During the cross country season, she placed third at the CAA meet in 20:58.48 and was named CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Hicks said, "We look forward to watching them compete at the biggest stage of their career. This is the first time for each of them to qualify. They are excited and ready to do some big things. We aren't just there to compete, we are prepared to do some big things and move on as well."

The NCAA East Preliminary Round will take place May 28-30 at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium. The women's long jump is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, May 29 with the 5,000-meter run on Saturday, May 30 at 8:05 p.m. More information about the NCAA East Preliminary, including complete entry lists, is available here.

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