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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Georgetown University track & field team had a strong first day at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary, held at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. With nine athletes advancing to the next round of competition, the day was highlighted by Jonathan Green (Berlin, Mass./Saint John's High School) being the first Hoya to punch his ticket to the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held at historic Hayward Field, on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.

"We're really pleased with the first day down here," Director of Track & Field / Cross Country Michael Smith said. "Our athletes came out and did what we know they are capable of doing. We already have our first athlete qualified for the championships in Eugene and we're looking to add more tomorrow."

Men's Recap (Individual Results)
Green stayed among the top three for the majority of the 10,000-meter semifinals. As the final three laps approached, there was a distinct lead pack of 14 athletes with only 12 spots available for the finals in Eugene, Ore. On the bell lap, the tight pack started to kick and make their moves over the final 200 meters. Green finished ninth with a time of 30:05.52 and clinched his spot in the finals.

Winning his heat, All-American Joe White (Clifton, N.J./DePaul Catholic) handily qualified for Friday's 800-meter quarterfinals. The sophomore ran 1:47.27, the second-fastest time from the first round.

In the first men's event of the day, All-American Ahmed Bile (Annandale, Va./Annandale) and freshman Spencer Brown (Wilton, Conn./Wilton) both advanced to the 1,500-meter quarterfinals, scheduled for Saturday. Bile turned in an automatic qualifying time as he finished third in his heat, clocking 3:46.91. Brown, competing in the first and fastest heat, finished eighth with a time of 3:45.90.

Women's Recap (Individual Results)
In the women's 800-meter first round, a quartet of Hoyas advanced to Friday's quarterfinals, three automatically and one on time. All-American Emma Keenan (Gwynedd Valley, Pa./Gwynedd-Mercy Academy) led the way as she ran a new personal record (PR) in the 800-meter run, clocking 2:04.59, the fastest time out of the first round heats.

Also advancing automatically were All-Americans Sabrina Southerland (New York, N.Y./Benjamin N. Cardozo) and Heather Martin (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius), who both turned in third-place finishes in their respective heats. Southerland clocked 2:05.09, while Martin recorded a time of 2:06.30.

Freshman Sarah Schmidt (Viersen, Germany) ran 2:05.44, finishing fourth in the fifth of six heats, to qualify to Friday's quarterfinal on time.

The duo of All-American Andrea Keklak (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury/Princeton) and BIG EAST champion Kennedy Weisner (St. Marys, Pa./Elk County Catholic) both advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1,500-meter run, each tallying an automatic bid. Keklak finished third in her heat with a time of 4:20.23. Weisner finished fourth in the first heat, with a time of 4:24.58, to earn the automatic bid to Saturday's quarters.

Friday on the Track (all times Eastern)
7 p.m. -- Women's 800-Meter Quarterfinals (Keenan, Martin, Schmidt, Southerland)
7:15 p.m. -- Men's 800-Meter Quarterfinals (White)
9:30 p.m. -- Men's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase Quarterfinals (Carpenter, Fahy)

Saturday on the Track (all times Eastern)
6:30 p.m. -- Women's 1,500-Meter Quarterfinals (Keklak, Weisner)
6:45 p.m. -- Men's 1,500-Meter Quarterfinals (Bile, Brown)
8:05 p.m. -- Women's 5,000-Meter Semifinals (Belf, Coogan, Eastman)
8:45 p.m. -- Men's 5,000-Meter Semifinals (Murray)

The Rundown
• This is the second-consecutive year Jonathan Green has qualified for the 10,000-meter finals at the outdoor championships.
• This is the fifth-straight year the Hoyas have qualified an athlete in the NCAA outdoor men's 10,000-meter finals. It is also the sixth time in the last seven years, going back to 2010 with the Blue & Gray only missing the finals in 2011.
• Emma Keenan bested her previous 800-meter time (2:04.97, 2/20/2016), run during the indoor season, by nearly four-tenths of a second.