Wilchcombe Qualifies for Finals in 110 Hurdles
May 23, 2015

Wilchcombe Qualifies for Finals in 110 Hurdles

Taylor Track & Field Championship Central Page | Video Highlights | Photo Gallery

GULF SHORES, Ala. –Senior sprinter Brandan Wilchcombe punched his ticket to Saturday's finals in the 110-meter hurdles to highlight the action for the Taylor men's track & field team on the second day of the NAIA National Championships.

Wilchcombe clocked a personal-best time of 14.46 to win his heat and earn one of eight spots in the finals which are scheduled for Saturday at 3:40 pm (CDT). The senior from Freeport, Bahamas was quick out of the blocks and gracefully glided over each hurdle on a beautiful afternoon at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Sophomore Leslie Romer missed qualifying for the finals of the 100-meter dash by the narrowest of margins, finishing in 9th place in the preliminaries just .04 seconds behind the eighth place finisher. Romer's time of 10.52 was impressive considering the Freeport, Bahamas native hadn't raced in nearly six weeks due to a nagging injury.

Taylor's 4x800-meter relay team also competed on Friday afternoon but the race didn't go as planned for the Trojans who clocked a time of 8:12.04 to finish in 22nd place. Schalk Van Niekerk, the lead-off man for the TU squad, got tangled up with another runner as they made the break to the inside on the opening lap of the race and took a fall. The junior managed to gather himself and finish his leg of the race but the Trojans fell well behind the pace due to the mishap. Fellow team members Jared Reed, David Rodman, and Kyle Shelton each ran well to close out the race. All four members of the 4x800-meter team will return next season with the goal of a repeat trip to the National Championships.

The Taylor men's team will conclude its season on Saturday with Wilchcombe's 110-meter hurdles finals at 3:40 pm (CDT) before sophomore Matt Hall closes out the day in the finals of the 5,000-meter at 5:55 pm (CDT).

Fans can find more information, including links to photo galleries, video recaps, live streaming, live results, and schedules at the Taylor Track & Field National Championship Central Page.