JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Natalliah Whyte of the Florida Atlantic University track and field team has advanced to the NCAA Championship after finishing fourth in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.16 in today’s quarterfinal round held in Jacksonville, Florida.
COACH SMOLKA’S TAKE
“Perseverance and overcoming adversity are great adjectives to describe Natalliah’s season. We’re so happy for her. It’s also awesome for our program to have an Owl qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the very first time in program history. We’re a young growing program that took a giant step forward today thanks to Natalliah’s awesome performance. It’s also important to note today’s result wouldn’t have been possible without the great support of our administration. We’re so happy for the university, our team and all the track and field alumni who paved the way. It’s a great day to be an Owl!”
QUICK HITS
· Whyte’s time of 11.16 is a new school record, topping her previously posted time of 11.17 to kick off the start of the outdoor season at the Hurricane Invite
· Whyte is the first FAU runner to qualify for the NCAA Finals in program history
· After finishing in second place in the 100 meter dash in the Finals in 2018, Whyte will have a chance to compete for a National Title in Austin
UP NEXT
The NCAA Championship Finals will be held June 6-8 in Austin, Texas. A schedule of events will be announced at a later time.
OWLS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For complete coverage of FAU cross country and track & field, follow along on Twitter (@FAU_XC_Track) or Instagram (@FAUXC.TF).
– FAUSports.com –
Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 3-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 50-3 victory over Akron in the 2017 CheriBundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
