Men's Track & Field Thrives on Day 1 of NCAA Championships

5/27/2021 10:30:00 PM | By: Joe Ginley '16, SID

Jamie Dailey (foreground) and Alex Phillip (background) earned All-American status tonight.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Day 1 of the 2021 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships checked all the boxes for John Carroll University Men's Track & Field.

Qualifiers from the Prelims for Finals on Saturday? Check. All-Americans? Check. Team points? Check.

The Blue Streaks fired out to a red-hot start on Friday, concluding with a thrilling double All-American finish.

At the end of a long day of racing, Alex Phillip and Jamie Dailey dueled with the best distance runners in the country in Division III. And despite a crowded field, the duo put on a show.

Phillip and Dailey worked together in the early goings, sticking closeby to spur one another forward. Phillip slungshot forward as the race moved ahead, but Dailey was not far behind. The duo worked incredibly hard under the lights on a sticky North Carolina evening. But despite the challenges, the duo captured fifth and seventh. Phillip crossed the line at 30:26.81 and Dailey clocked in at 30:39.23.

And just like that, the talented Blue Streaks distance stars won All-American trophies. No other teammates achieved the feat in the race, on either the men's or the women's sides.

Garrett Clark, Mick Doyle, Mark Zahren, Deven Ward thrived in the 4x100 to open the day for the Blue Streaks. The quartet zipped to a time of 40.98 for a bid to the finals on Saturday at 12:05 pm. Look for the relay squad to make some noise in this one.

Ian Pierson competed in the 1500m next and also punched his ticket to Saturday. The junior roared to a prelim time of 3:51.18, second in his heat and third overall. Pierson's seed time was two seconds faster, so the South Range native may have more in the tank for Saturday's 12:35 pm race.

Clark and Ward returned to the track for the 200m Prelims. In a race with a razor-thin margin, Clark emerged to fight another day, while Ward unfortunately missed the cut. Clark clipped a time of 21.56 for eighth, just .02 enough for the qualification for Saturday's 2:50 pm Finals. Ward finished 15th with a time of 21.96, still very great.

Ward and Clark will get back at it tomorrow, taking part in the 100m Prelims at 3:45 pm. Jacob Fritsch will also get his day in the sun, competing in the Javelin at 4:45 pm.

The Blue Streaks currently sit in 12th place with 7 team points and a long way to go.

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