CBU Track Makes Debut At NCAA Division II Championship

Two of California Baptist University's four runners competing in the NCAA Division II Track Championships opened recently with great success, becoming the first male and female Lancers to make it to the finals. Veronica Hall finished fifth in her heat and eighth overall in the 1500-meter preliminary round to move onto Saturday's finals. After starting the race out toward the back of the pack, Hall was patient and started to make up ground as she rounded the track lap after lap. The junior kicked into another gear in the final 100 meters to pass a fellow runner, crossing the finish line in four minutes, 31.03 seconds. With her 800-meter prelim set for Friday, Hall could find herself racing in two events on May 16, but she'll need a top-nine finish tomorrow first. Valentin Robert and Abdel El-Hajjami also competed for the Lancers in their first NCAA Division II event, the 3000-meter steeplechase. El-Hajjami led the event off in the first heat, finishing seventh in his heat with a time of 9:11.83, 14th overall. Robert followed in heat two and stayed with the pack until the end, coming in less than four seconds behind the first-place finisher of the heat. The sophomore clocked in at 9:06.45, which was good for 11th overall to move him onto Friday's final field of 12 runners.