Parker eclipses 5,000m PR by 25 seconds at Swarthmore Last Chance
Juniata College senior Ceth Parker posted a personal best in the 5,000m and put himself in a strong position to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, during competition at Monday night’s Swarthmore College Tuppeny Twilight Last Chance meet.
Complete results - Swarthmore Last Chance meet
SWARTHMORE, Pa. – Juniata College senior Ceth Parker (Sabillasville, Md./Catoctin) posted a personal best in the 5,000m and put himself in a strong position to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, during competition at Monday night’s Swarthmore College Tuppeny Twilight Last Chance meet.
Parker ran a time of 14:31.08 in the 5,000m – an improvement of nearly 25 seconds over his previous personal best time in the event. Parker finished seventh overall in the event, and third among Division III entrants trailing only a pair of Swarthmore runners.
“I told him (Parker) right afterwards that was a great time and a great effort,” said Juniata head track and field coach Jon Cutright. “I told him even if it’s not good enough to get to nationals, it’s an outstanding way to end his career.”
Parker’s time currently places him 19th on the Division III performance rankings in the 5,000m; the top 20 individuals will advance to the NCAA outdoor meet, which takes place May 24-26 in Claremont, Calif.
Angela Shaffer (Prospect, Pa./Slippery Rock) finished fourth in the high jump competition, clearing a height of 1.57m (5-1 ¾). Nicholas Bauer (Glen Ridge, N.J./Glen Ridge) was seventh in the long jump with an effort of 6.56m (21-6 ¼).
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