Petronela Simiuc Qualifies for NCAA Championships in 1500m

Saturday, May 29

Jacksonville, Fla.

TBA

University of Toledo

NCAA East Prelims

Petronela Simiuc's time of 4:14.91 in the 1500m at the NCAA East Regionals on Saturday qualified her for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. in two weeks.

Photo by: Katherine Jamtgaard

Petronela Simiuc Qualifies for NCAA Championships in 1500m

5/29/2021 10:02:00 PM | Women's Track and Field

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Toledo senior Petronela Simiuc qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 1500m with a ninth-place finish at the NCAA East Regional Women's Track & Field Championships in Jacksonville, Fla. on Saturday. Simiuc's time of 4:14.91 earned her a spot in the NCAA finals, joining teammate Stephanie Sherman, who qualified in the 10,000m on Thursday.

"I was so proud of the poise and grit Petra showed out there today," said Head Coach Andrea Grove-McDonough. "Given the injury she has battled this last week, and the lack of normal preparation, it definitely affected her. But like all great champions she found a way. She was not going to let anything stop her tonight. I admit I was nervous at 800 (meters) with how fast they split and I could see it was getting to her already, but boy did she run tough. I was thrilled for her and I'm excited for her to head to Eugene and see what she can accomplish in her first NCAA outdoor championship."

Sherman also ran on Saturday, finishing in 22nd place in the 5000m with a time of 16:27.36, which fell short of earning her a second qualifying mark.

"Steph had to double back in the 5,000m after her heroic effort in the 10,000m on Thursday that qualified her for the national championship finals," said Grove-McDonough. "We dubbed it her 'victory lap' and just wanted her to come out of it without any injuries and run as controlled as race as possible. With the tough conditions the past few days with high heat and humidity I was happy to see her walk off in as good a shape considering she ran 15,000m worth of racing in two days."

Also competing on Saturday were junior Semra Karaslan and sophomore Emily Vining, who took 24th and 43rd, respectively, in the 3000m steeplechase.

"Semra put herself in position early and gave herself a shot at advancing and I was really proud of her for that," said Grove-McDonough. "Emily gained invaluable experience in such an elite competition and I'm so excited for the road ahead with her"

Simiuc and Sherman will head next head to Eugene, Ore. on June 9-12 for the NCAA Championships.