TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo sophomore Joy Chirchir and junior Madeline Vining, qualified for the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Regional Championships on Wednesday-Saturday, May 24-27 in Jacksonville, Fla. The University of North Florida will host the meet at the Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium.

Both Vining and Chirchir qualified for the 10,000m race after running the fifth-and seventh-fastest times in UT outdoor track & field history, respectively, at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 14 in Azusa, Calif. Vining crossed the finish line with a time of 34:03.57 (16^th), the fastest by a Rocket this season. Chirchir crossed the finish line not long after her teammate with a PR time of 34:20.31 (22^nd), the second-fastest time by a Rocket this season.

Vining earned a silver medal in the 10K race at the 2023 MAC Outdoor Championships last weekend, finishing with a time of 36:15.33. Chirchir finished fourth in the race at the conference meet with a time of 36:41.64.

The top-12 finishers in the 10,000m race will join the top-12 competitors from the West Regional Championships (Sacramento, Calif.) for a field of 24 at the national championships meet. The 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships will be held on Wednesday-Saturday, June 7-10 at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Tex.