Green, Piazza qualify for semifinals at USATF Outdoor Championships

DES MOINES, Iowa – Virginia Tech track and field alums Hanna Green and Drew Piazza qualified for the semifinals in the 800-meter run on Thursday at the USATF Outdoor Championships at Drake Stadium.

The pair, which exhausted their athletic eligibility in the spring of 2017, each took third in their respective heats to qualify for the next round of 16 competitors.

Green clocked a 1 minute, 0.84 seconds split in her first 400 meters and closed with 1:02.53, finishing the race in a time of 2:03.36 for Nike OTCE. Piazza got out the gates rather quickly as well, going 53.51 in the first 400 and 55.65 in the final lap to record a time of 1:49.16.

The duo will go at it again on Friday in the evening, with Green running at 7:50 p.m. ET and Piazza at 8:05 p.m. Both races will be available to watch live on the Olympic Channel and NBC Sports Gold.

Two outgoing seniors raced their final time wearing the maroon and orange, as Vincent Ciattei ran the 11th-fastest time in the 1,500 (3:43.53) and Greg Chiles clocked the 18th-fastest time in the 400 hurdles (51.17). Each athlete barely missed the cut for the next round in their respective events with each being the second one out based on time.

The four-day meet continues on Friday starting with the men's decathlon at 12:30 p.m. Green and Piazza will run at night, while 2010 Bowerman award winner Queen Harrison will run in the first round of the 100-meter hurdles at 4:50 p.m.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Fri. | USATF Outdoor Championships | 12:30 p.m. ET | Live Results
Sat. | USATF Outdoor Championships | 11 a.m. ET | Live Results
Sun. | USATF Outdoor Championships | 12:30 p.m. ET | Live Results

Friday
4:50 p.m. ET | 100 Hurdles First Round | Queen Harrison
7:50 p.m. ET | 800 Semifinals | Hanna Green
8:05 p.m. ET | 800 Semifinals | Drew Piazza
 
Saturday
2:30 p.m. ET | Pole Vault | Deakin Volz
3:20 p.m. ET | 100 Hurdles Semifinals | Queen Harrison
5:52 p.m. ET | 100 Hurdles Finals | Queen Harrison
 
Sunday
4:04 p.m. ET | 800 Finals | Hanna Green
4:13 p.m. ET | 800 Finals | Drew Piazza
5:30 p.m. ET | 5,000 | Thomas Curtin