ECU’s McMillan qualifies for NCAA championships

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Sydni McMillan became the first East Carolina track & field to advance to nationals since 2022 as she booked a trip to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. To cue the Pirates at the East First Round on Wednesday through Saturday at the University of Kentucky.

McMillan broke her own program record in the first round with a time of 13.00 seconds then got through on a time qualifier from the quarterfinals of the 100m hurdles to earn her way to Oregon. The senior finished 10 ^th overall in the event at the regional finishing well clear of the bubble time to make her the first East Carolina athlete ever to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the event.

McMillan doubled back with the women’s 4x100m squad along with Melicia Mouzzon , Calandra Henry and Rosalynd Hollingsworth as the team once again broke the East Carolina program record in the event. Their time of 44.05 seconds not only nearly made them the first group in program history to dip under 44 seconds but placed them 14 ^th overall in the event, just two spots out of a trip to Eugene for the NCAA Championships. It was the Pirates first time competing in the event at the East First Round since 2017 and was the team’s best finish since Tania Minkins, Tyshonda Hawkins, Erin Tucker and Jasmine Dawson finished third in the East to qualify for the 2014 NCAA Championships where the group finished 21 ^st .

Mouzzon also competed in the 100m and 200m, advancing out of the first round in each event with times of 11.34 and 23.17 seconds. The senior competed well in the quarterfinals of the 100m, running a season best of 11.29 seconds to finish 15 ^th overall, just .03 seconds out of advancing to Eugene. Mouzzon did not start the 200m quarterfinal round.

Royal Burris competed in two events at the meet, taking 36 ^th overall with a run of 10.56 seconds in the 100m before finding a way to get through in the 200m. Burris ran a time of 20.73 seconds to qualify for the quarterfinal round where he finished 23 ^rd overall in a time of 21.47 seconds.

Rebekah Bergquist acquitted herself well in the discus. The senior had the second-best mark of her flight and finished an impressive 27 ^th with a toss of 50.03m.

ECU Results
Royal Burris
200m Quarterfinals, 21.47 (23 ^rd )
200m First Round, 20.73q (23 ^rd )
100m First Round, 10.56 (36 ^th )

Melicia Mouzzon
200m First Round, 23.17q (14 ^th )
100m Quarterfinals, 11.29 (15 ^th )
100m First Round, 11.34Q (14 ^th )

Sydni McMillan
100mH Quarterfinals, 13.02q (10 ^th )
100mH First Round, 13.00Q (10 ^th )

Mouzzon, Hollingsworth, Henry, McMillan
4x100m, 44.05 (14 ^th )

Rebekah Bergquist
Discus, 50.03m (27 ^th )

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