Edgecombe, Williams and Squibbs to represent ETSU in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (May 28, 2015) – The ETSU track and field team will have three athletes competing in the NCAA Outdoor East Preliminary, which begins Thursday at North Florida’s Hodges Stadium. 

WHO IS COMPETING FOR ETSU

Senior Dede Edgecombe (Spartanburg, S.C.) and sophomores Brett Squibbs (Rock Hill, S.C.) and Mike Williams (Mt. Laurel, N.J.) will be representing the Blue and Gold this weekend in the River City. 

Edgecombe qualified in the women’s 100mH, while Squibbs will be competing in the pole vault and Williams in the 400mH. 

Edgecombe, the Southern Conference Most Outstanding Track Performer and Most Outstanding Athlete, turned in her fastest time in the 100mH at last month’s conference championship. The Buccaneer senior clocked in with a SoCon and ETSU record-setting time of 13:35, marking the 23rd fastest time in the East Prelim. This is Edgecombe’s third straight appearance in the NCAA Regional with her top finish coming in 2014 where she placed 32nd.  

Squibbs featured his best mark in the pole vault earlier this month at the UT Challenge where he cleared 5.06m (16-7.25). The Buccaneer sophomore is ETSU’s record holder in the event at 5.20m (17-00.75), which was set at the 2014 War Eagle Invitational in Auburn, Ala. 

Like Squibbs, Williams will be making his second straight trip to the NCAA Regional after setting a qualifying mark in the 400mH at the SoCon Championships. Williams registered his fastest collegiate time at 52.03 to win the event. The Mt. Laurel, N.J., native finished 31st in the 400mH at last year’s NCAA Regional, while his mark of 52.03 ranks him 45th in the region. 

WHEN THEY COMPETE

Williams will run in the first round of the 400mH on Thursday at 5 p.m., while Squibbs (pole vault) and Edgecombe (100mH) get underway in their respective events Friday. The pole vault starts at 4:30 p.m., and the first round of the 100mH begins at 5 p.m. 

The quarterfinal of the 400mH will be run on Friday night at 7:45 p.m., while the 100mH quarterfinal will be contested Saturday at 7:05 p.m. 

For Williams and Edgecombe to advance to the quarterfinal, the Buccaneer hurdlers will need to either finish in the top three of their heat or post one of the next six fastest qualifying times. Williams is in the sixth heat of the 400mH and will be running in lane seven, while Edgecombe is in the second heat of the 100mH and is in lane three. 

The top 12 marks in the pole vault advance to the NCAA Championship.  Squibbs is in flight two of the pole vault. 

The NCAA Championships will be held in Eugene, Ore., starting Wednesday, June 10. 

COVERAGE

Live scoring from the NCAA East Prelim will be available through NCAA.com or by clicking here. 

ETSUBucs.com will provide complete recaps following each day.  

Twitter updates will be available by following @ETSUAthletics as well using the hash tag #ETSUTF.  

TEXTCASTER

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For more information on Buccaneer track and field, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the track and field page.