BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – On Friday at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds, Hokies track & field closed out the men's competition with four more tickets secured to Oregon.
Continuing their dominance at the conference and national level this season, the 4x100m relay team of Kahleje "KJ" Tillmon, Torrence Walker, Kennedy Harrison, and Cole Beck breezed around the track in a controlled and confident fashion to secure their spot at the national finals.
The foursome clocked a time of 38.78 seconds, second all-time in Hokies history behind their own school record set at the ACC Championships just two weeks prior. Tech's relay squad won its heat to secure automatic qualification, while also posting the second-fastest time on the day. Tillmon, Walker, Harrison, and Beck become the third men's 4x100m team in school history to advance to the NCAA Championships, joining squads from the 2012 and 2019 seasons.
In the 3,000m steeplechase, Tech distance runners clinched two berths to Hayward Field as rain began to fall at the East Prelims. Ben Nibbelink clinched a time qualifier with his lifetime-best performance, crossing the line in 8:40.16 to secure his spot at nationals and improve his No. 3 spot on the Hokies' all-time list. Following Nibbelink was the Blacksburg native Ben Fleming, who surged around the track in the last 400 meters to stop the clock in 8:40.55. Fleming, who took home the ACC title in the event this year, will join Nibbelink at the NCAA Championships for the first times in both their careers.
Punching the final ticket of the afternoon for the Hokies was Chauncey Chambers, who has now earned a berth to the NCAA Championships for consecutive seasons in the triple jump. Chambers delivered another trademark clutch performance, leaping 15.85m (52' 0") on his second of three jumps to secure his spot at the national meet.
The four Hokies who clinched qualification today will join Khalil Bedoui as Tech's representatives on the men's side two weeks from now in Eugene, Ore. Action resumes on Saturday in the final day of competition at the NCAA East Prelims as the Hokie women look to close out the meet in style.
Essence Henderson will kick things off for Tech in the discus at 1 PM, followed by Chase Kappeler in the 3,000m steeplechase at 5:40 PM, before Hailey Huston Myles draws the curtains on this year's East Preliminaries in the triple jump.Gallery: (5-27-2022) T&F: 2022 NCAA East Regional Day 3