TRACK & FIELD NOTEBOOK
Graduate student, Jane Leighton, heads to Jacksonville, Florida for the 2023 NCAA East Preliminary Round. Leighton will race in the 3000-meter steeplechase on Saturday (May 27) at University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium. The event begins at 5:40 p.m. ET. ESPN+ will provide live coverage of the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
 
RELATED LINKS
Watch: ESPN+
Live Results | Championship Info
 
LEIGHTON'S INTERVIEW
Leighton and head coach Matt Belfield met with the local media earlier this week. Fans can watch her interview at WCAX.com.
 
LEIGHTON'S QUALIFYING MARK
Leighton will run as the No. 39 seed in Saturday's 3000-meter steeplechase after posting a time of 10:25.97 on April 13 at the Bryan Clay Invite. The Amherst, New Hampshire native owns the second-fastest mark in program history. Leighton is one of two America East student-athletes set to compete in the steeplechase in Jacksonville.  
 
FIRST SINCE '14
Leighton will be the first UVM woman to compete in the NCAA Track & Field Championships since Nika Ouellette, Yolanda Ngarambe, and Brittany St. Clair in 2014. The Catamounts saw two program records in the preliminary round at North Florida, with Ouellette posting a mark of 50.01 meters in the javelin, and Yolanda Ngarambe running a time of 2:06.43 in the 800-meter run.
 
OUELLETTE'S 2014 RUN
Ouellette matched the program's highest finish in the NCAA Championships in 2014 when she placed 13th in the javelin finals in Oregon. Ouellette's mark of 48.82 meters helped capture her second All-America Second Team honor.