ANDERSON, S.C. – Elliot Dotson, Whitney Hanson, Kirsten Leonard, and Olivia Rish have been named to the USTFCCCA All-Region Team, while Dotson has also qualified for the NCAA National Outdoor Championships for the 5,000m (13:57.18) in Pueblo, Colorado on May 27th. Dotson is the first men's outdoor track and field athlete to reach the national championships for Anderson since 2017.
Dotson, a freshman from Greenville, S.C., posted his qualifying time for the 5,000m at the Virginia Challenge (Apr. 21) with a time of 13:57.18 to break the Anderson school record and earn USTFCCCA. This season, Dotson has also set the outdoor 1,500m record (3:49.74) at High Point, the indoor mile record (4:08.55) at the Carolina Challenge and the indoor 3,000m record (8:17.93) at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston.
Rish, a senior from Pelzer, S.C., was named all-region for the 800m. Her best time of the season came at the Lee Last Chance Meet (2:14.95). At the SAC Outdoor Championships, Rish ran a 2:19.76 to finish fifth place. Olivia ran the event three other times: 2:17.35 at the Raliegh Relays, 2:21.35 at the Duke Invitational, and 2:15.38 at the Electric City Invitational.
Hanson, a senior from Colstrip, MT, was named all-region for the steeplechase. Whitney's best time came in the 3,000mSC at the Georgia Tech Invitational with a mark of 11:04.06, which ranks her first as the regional champion. At the SAC Outdoor Championships, Hanson came in second place at 11:24.12. Hanson recorded a time of 11:28.82 at the Vertklasse Meeting for a sixth place finish.
Leonard, a freshman from Hoover, Alabama, competed in the pole vault four times during the outdoor season, with 3.31m being her best mark, coming at the App State Open for a sixth-placefinish. Kirsten finished fourth at the SAC Outdoor Championships (3.30m), fourth at the Electric City Invitational (3.25m), and fourth at the Trojan Opener (3.15m).
The NCAA National Outdoor Championships are scheduled for May 25-27 in Pueblo, Colorado. Elliot Dotson will run the 5,000m on May 27 as the 13th ranked runner. Dotson is in a field of 21 runners, joining two runners from Wingate University in Hamza Chahid (No.2 at 13:33.32) and Scott Nutter (No.11 at 13:54.39) as the only ones representing the South Atlantic Conference. More information can be found at autrojans.com when it becomes available.
