Chigatayeva and Jeannot head to NCAA East Region Meet
VESTAL, N.Y. – Graduate student Aziza Chigatayeva and senior Marcrene Jeannot head to the NCAA East Region Outdoor Track & Field Meet this coming weekend, which is being held at the University of North Florida. The four-day event runs Wednesday-Saturday.
Chigatayeva will be competing in the women's 3,000 Steeplechase (SC) on Saturday at 5:40 p.m. while Jeannot is entered in the men's triple jump on Friday at 6 p.m. The Bearcat duo earned the distinction by finishing the current outdoor track & field season ranked among the Top 48 performers in the East Region in their respective events.
The top 12 finishers in each event at the NCAA East Region Meet will advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held June 7-10 at the University of Texas. The NCAA West Regional Meet, which is being hosted by Sacramento State this Wednesday-Saturday, will also send its top 12 finishers in each event to the NCAA Championships.
Chigateyeva is currently ranked No. 14 in the East Region, having posted a time of 9:58.02 at the season-opening Raleigh Relays back on March 24.
There are three heats of 16 runners in the women's 3,000 SC at the NCAA East Regional, with Chigateyeva entered in the first heat. The top three finishers in each heat – plus the next three fastest times – will advance to the NCAA Championships.
This marks the fourth consecutive outdoor season that Chigatayeva is competing at the NCAA East Region meet in the 3,000 SC. She was 42nd in 2019, 23rd in 2021 and a career-best 16th last season. The was no NCAA East Region meet in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chigatayeva is the first Binghamton female track & field athlete to have qualified for the NCAA Division I East Region Meet four times during her career. The program moved up to the NCAA Division I level for the 2001-02 academic year.
Three weeks ago, Chigatayeva won her fourth consecutive America East 3,000 SC title and was the runner up in the 1,500.
Jeannot, meanwhile, is currently ranked No. 28 in the triple jump, having jumped 50-8 3/4 at the America East Championships two weeks ago.
There are four flights of 12 jumpers in the men's triple jump with Jeannot entered in the second flight. The top 12 overall distances will advance to the NCAA Championships.
This is the first time in his career that Jeannot has qualified for the NCAA East Region Meet. He is the second Binghamton men's triple jumper to advance to the meet in three seasons, with Matt Baker having qualified in 2021.
Jeannot swept both the America East indoor and outdoor triple jump titles during the current academic year. He also placed fourth in the long jump at the conference outdoor championships.
Since 2004, Binghamton has posted 43 regional qualifiers on the men's side and 21 on the women's side.
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