Track & Field
Irish Athletes Chase NCAA Championship Places This Week
The NCAA Division I Regional Preliminaries get underway tonight across the United States, with a huge contingent of Irish athletes set to compete over four days of action in Jacksonville, Florida and College Station, Texas.
For many of these athletes, this is the biggest step yet in what has already been a brilliant outdoor season. The regional preliminaries act as the qualifying rounds for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene in June, with only the top athletes progressing through to nationals.
Irish athletes have enjoyed a remarkable spring across the NCAA system. Sean Aigboboh smashed the Irish national record over 200m earlier this season, while Lauren Roy has continued her rapid rise with several standout sprint performances and relay appearances. Maeve O'Neill also arrives in strong form after conference success and her senior Irish indoor debut.
In the distance events, Anna Gardiner has been one of the standout Irish performers in the NCAA all season, winning major races and consistently competing at the sharp end of elite collegiate distance running.
The preliminaries themselves can confuse casual fans at first glance, particularly with rounds labelled “Round One”, “Quarterfinals”, and “Semifinals”. In reality, this stage effectively acts as a regional championship qualifying series before the national championships.
The easiest comparison for Irish fans is probably the GAA championship structure. Athletes first need to survive their regional rounds before progressing to the NCAA finals in Eugene. Sprint and middle distance events often feature multiple rounds at regionals, typically Round One followed by Quarterfinals. If athletes progress again, they then face semifinals and finals at the NCAA Championships themselves.
Longer distance races operate slightly differently. Events such as the 5000m and 10000m often only feature one race at the regional stage, effectively serving as a semifinal, with successful athletes advancing directly to the national final in Eugene.
The top 12 athletes and relay teams from each regional event progress to the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Oregon next month.
East Regional Irish Entries
The East Regional Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Florida has a particularly strong Irish presence this year, especially across the middle distance and long distance events.
Villanova once again fields a major Irish contingent, with Seán Donoghue and Jack Fenlon both competing after impressive spring campaigns. Donoghue lines up in the men’s 1500m, while Fenlon takes on the men’s 5000m.
Providence College also has a huge Irish involvement. Cormac Dixon and Cara Laverty both compete in the 1500m events, while Maeve O’Neill heads into the women’s 800m in strong form after conference success and her recent senior Irish debut. Providence distance star Anna Gardiner continues what has been a sensational outdoor season in both the 5000m and 10000m.
Florida State University brings major sprint and middle distance interest through Lucy May Sleeman and Nicole Dinan. Sleeman competes in both the women’s 100m and 4x100m relay, while Dinan takes on the women’s 1500m.
Elsewhere, Seán Cronin of La Salle University and Liam Lyons of Holy Cross join a stacked Irish group in the men’s 1500m, while Grace Weigele of Stony Brook University contests the women’s 10000m and 5000m double.
The East Regional also features relay action for David Davitt of the University of Pennsylvania in the men’s 4x400m relay.
West Regional Irish Entries
The West Regional Preliminary Round in College Station, Texas also contains a massive Irish presence, particularly in the sprint and distance events.
One of the headline names is undoubtedly Sean Aigboboh of the University of Houston. The Irish sprint star has enjoyed a breakout season, highlighted by his Irish national record over 200m, and he arrives at regionals competing across the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
Tarleton State University’s Lauren Roy has also produced several huge performances throughout the outdoor season and competes in the women’s 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
In the distance events, Dean Casey of the University of Colorado and Shay McEvoy of the University of Oregon both double up across the 5000m and 10000m, while Oregon’s Anika Thompson contests the women’s long distance events.
Field event interest comes through Elizabeth Ndudi in the women’s long jump and Siún Quinn in the women’s high jump, both representing the University of Illinois.
The steeplechase also features strong Irish representation through Ailish Hawkins of UCLA, Roisin Treacy of Loyola University Chicago and Oisín Spillane of St. Mary’s College California.
Victoria Amiadamen of Texas State University competes in the women’s 400m hurdles after another strong season on the NCAA circuit, while Mark Milner of the University of Portland takes on the men’s 1500m.
How To Watch
Unfortunately for Irish fans, coverage is once again restricted to ESPN Plus.
That does make viewing awkward from Ireland, although dedicated fans can still access the stream through a VPN alongside an ESPN Plus subscription.
📺 Live Stream: ESPN Plus (East) / ESPN Plus (West) (Subscription & Compatible VPN Required)
Full Irish Timetable
Wednesday May 27th
East Regional Preliminaries
⏰ 11:30 PM – 🏃♂️ Seán Donoghue (Villanova University) – Men’s 1500m R1
⏰ 11:30 PM – 🏃♂️ Seán Cronin (La Salle University) – Men’s 1500m R1
⏰ 11:30 PM – 🏃♂️ Cormac Dixon (Providence College) – Men’s 1500m R1
⏰ 11:30 PM – 🏃♂️ Liam Lyons (Holy Cross) – Men’s 1500m R1
West Regional Preliminaries
⏰ 7:30 PM – 🏃♂️ Mark Milner (University of Portland) – Men’s 1500m R1
⏰ 8:00 PM – 🏃♂️ Sean Aigboboh (University of Houston) – Men’s 100m R1
⏰ 9:45 PM – 🏃♂️ Sean Aigboboh (University of Houston) – Men’s 200m R1
⏰ 2:10 AM – 🏃♂️ Dean Casey (University of Colorado) – Men’s 10000m SF
⏰ 2:10 AM – 🏃♂️ Shay McEvoy (University of Oregon) – Men’s 10000m SF
Thursday May 28th
East Regional Preliminaries
⏰ 11:30 PM – 🏃♀️ Nicole Dinan (Florida State University) – Women’s 1500m R1
⏰ 11:30 PM – 🏃♀️ Cara Laverty (Providence College) – Women’s 1500m R1
⏰ 12:00 AM – 🏃♀️ Lucy May Sleeman (Florida State University) – Women’s 100m R1
⏰ 12:50 AM – 🏃♀️ Maeve O’Neill (Providence College) – Women’s 800m R1
⏰ 2:10 AM – 🏃♀️ Anna Gardiner (Providence College) – Women’s 10000m SF
⏰ 2:10 AM – 🏃♀️ Grace Weigele (Stony Brook University) – Women’s 10000m SF
West Regional Preliminaries
⏰ 12:30 AM – 🏃♀️ Elizabeth Ndudi (University of Illinois) – Women’s Long Jump
⏰ 1:00 AM – 🏃♀️ Lauren Roy (Tarleton State University) – Women’s 100m R1
⏰ 2:20 AM – 🏃♀️ Victoria Amiadamen (Texas State University) – Women’s 400m Hurdles R1
⏰ 2:45 AM – 🏃♀️ Lauren Roy (Tarleton State University) – Women’s 200m R1
⏰ 3:10 AM – 🏃♀️ Anika Thompson (University of Oregon) – Women’s 10000m SF
Friday May 29th
East Regional Preliminaries
⏰ 10:15 PM – 🏃♂️ Seán Donoghue (Villanova University) – Men’s 1500m QF*
⏰ 10:15 PM – 🏃♂️ Seán Cronin (La Salle University) – Men’s 1500m QF*
⏰ 10:15 PM – 🏃♂️ Cormac Dixon (Providence College) – Men’s 1500m QF*
⏰ 10:15 PM – 🏃♂️ Liam Lyons (Holy Cross) – Men’s 1500m QF*
⏰ 1:10 AM – 🏃♂️ Jack Fenlon (Villanova University) – Men’s 5000m SF
⏰ 1:45 AM – 🏃♂️ David Davitt (University of Pennsylvania) – Men’s 4x400m Relay QF
*Subject to Qualification
West Regional Preliminaries
⏰ 11:00 PM – 🏃♂️ Sean Aigboboh (University of Houston) – Men’s 4x100m Relay QF
⏰ 11:00 PM – 🏃♂️ James Ezeonu (University Placeholder) – Men’s 4x100m Relay QF
⏰ 11:15 PM – 🏃♂️ Mark Milner (University of Portland) – Men’s 1500m QF*
⏰ 11:40 PM – 🏃♂️ Oisín Spillane (St. Mary’s College California) – Men’s 3000m Steeplechase QF
⏰ 12:35 AM – 🏃♂️ Sean Aigboboh (University of Houston) – Men’s 100m QF*
⏰ 1:50 AM – 🏃♂️ Sean Aigboboh (University of Houston) – Men’s 200m QF*
⏰ 2:10 AM – 🏃♂️ Dean Casey (University of Colorado) – Men’s 5000m SF
⏰ 2:10 AM – 🏃♂️ Shay McEvoy (University of Oregon) – Men’s 5000m SF
*Subject to Qualification
Saturday May 30th
East Regional Preliminaries
⏰ 10:00 PM – 🏃♀️ Lucy May Sleeman (Florida State University) – Women’s 4x100m Relay QF
⏰ 10:15 PM – 🏃♀️ Nicole Dinan (Florida State University) – Women’s 1500m QF*
⏰ 10:15 PM – 🏃♀️ Cara Laverty (Providence College) – Women’s 1500m QF*
⏰ 11:35 PM – 🏃♀️ Lucy May Sleeman (Florida State University) – Women’s 100m QF*
⏰ 12:05 AM – 🏃♀️ Maeve O’Neill (Providence College) – Women’s 800m QF*
⏰ 1:10 AM – 🏃♀️ Anna Gardiner (Providence College) – Women’s 5000m SF
⏰ 1:10 AM – 🏃♀️ Grace Weigele (Stony Brook University) – Women’s 5000m SF
West Regional Preliminaries
⏰ 8:00 PM – 🏃♀️ Siún Quinn (University of Illinois) – Women’s High Jump R1
⏰ 11:00 PM – 🏃♀️ Lauren Roy (Tarleton State University) – Women’s 4x100m Relay QF
⏰ 11:40 PM – 🏃♀️ Ailish Hawkins (UCLA) – Women’s 3000m Steeplechase QF
⏰ 11:40 PM – 🏃♀️ Roisin Treacy (Loyola University Chicago) – Women’s 3000m Steeplechase QF
⏰ 12:35 AM – 🏃♀️ Lauren Roy (Tarleton State University) – Women’s 100m QF*
⏰ 1:25 AM – 🏃♀️ Victoria Amiadamen (Texas State University) – Women’s 400m Hurdles QF*
⏰ 1:50 AM – 🏃♀️ Lauren Roy (Tarleton State University) – Women’s 200m QF*
⏰ 2:10 AM – 🏃♀️ Anika Thompson (University of Oregon) – Women’s 5000m SF
*Subject to Qualification
As always, we wish every Irish athlete competing every success.
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