JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of Pennsylvania men's and women's track and field programs are well-represented this week at the Division I NCAA East Region Preliminaries at the University of North Florida, as 10 Quakers take over Jacksonville looking for their opportunity to punch a ticket to national championships in June at the University of Oregon.

Follow along from Wednesday to Saturday this week with all the updates on the Quakers as they compete in their respective events... Each day's events will be recapped below along with photos and video!

QUALIFIED STUDENT-ATHLETES:

• Camille Dickson: Long Jump
  • Qualifying Mark: 6.24m (20'5.75")
  • Qualifying Seed: 29
• Tamara Grahovac: Triple Jump
  • Qualifying Mark: 12.90m (42'4")
  • Qualifying Seed: 23
• Claire Moreau: High Jump
  • Qualifying Mark: 1.75m (5'8.75")
  • Qualifying Seed: 43
• Haley Rizek: 400m Hurdles
  • Qualifying Mark: 59.68
  • Qualifying Seed: 35
• Isabella Whittaker: 400m
  • Qualifying Mark: 52.50
  • Qualifying Seed: 13
• Noah Carey: 5,000m
  • Qualifying Mark: 13:58.60
  • Qualifying Seed: 47
• William Hare: 3,000m Steeplechase
  • Qualifying Mark: 8:51.45
  • Qualifying Seed: 37
• Michael Keehan: 3,000m Steeplechase
  • Qualifying Mark: 8:48.54
  • Qualifying Seed: 23
• Ryan Renken: 5,000m
  • Qualifying Mark: 13:52.78
  • Qualifying Seed: 35
• Anthony Russo: 10,000m
  • Qualifying Mark: 28:57.20
  • Qualifying Seed: 15

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

• Wednesday:
  • 9:10PM: 10,000m Men Semifinals
    • Anthony Russo: 17th place ... 29:16.17
• Thursday:
  • 3:00PM: Long Jump Women First Round
    • Camille Dickson: 20th place ... 6.12m (20'1")
  • 7:25PM: 400m Women First Round (Isabella Whittaker)
    • Isabella Whittaker: 11th place (3rd in Heat 1) ... 52.62
  • 8:20PM: 400m Hurdles Women First Round
    • Haley Rizek: 38th place (7th in Heat 3) ... 1:00.43
• Friday:
  • 6:10PM: 3,000m Steeplechase Men Semifinals
    • Michael Keehan: 36th place (13th in Heat 1) ... 9:15.47
    • William Hare: DNF (Heat 3)
  • 8:30PM: 5,000m Men Semifinals
    • Noah Carey: 23rd place (12th in Heat 2) ... 13:58.71
    • Ryan Renken: 33rd place (17th in Heat 2) ... 14:12.15
• Saturday:
  • 1:00PM: High Jump Women First Round
    • Claire Moreau: 30th place (14th in Flight 1) ... 1.72m (5'7.75")
  • 3:15PM: Triple Jump Women First Round
    • Tamara Grahovac: 42nd place ... 12.02m (39' 5.25")
  • 7:20PM: 400m Women Quarterfinals
    • Isabella Whittaker: 10th place (5th in Heat 2) ... 51.92

For the full schedule, click here (PDF).
 

WEDNESDAY RECAP:

Only one Quaker competed on Wednesday, as Anthony Russo hit the track for the 10,000m under the lights at Jax Track at Hodges Stadium. A great showing on a hot night in Jacksonville, Florida had Russo come through with a 17th-place finish with a time of 29:16.17. 

Russo remained tight at the front through much of the first half of the race, including a mark of 6:59.27 at the 2,400m split as the intermediate leader. As the lead pack started to separate from the rest of the 48-competitor field, Russo slid slightly back, roughly 100m outside of the front runners.

A strong effort in the final laps saw Russo put together a time of 1:06.32 in the last 400m to cross the finish line in 17th. 

The Quakers turn the page to Thursday for the women, as Camille Dickson, Isabella Whittaker and Haley Rizek all compete in their respective events. 
   

THURSDAY RECAP:

Senior captain Camille Dickson started off the day for the Quakers, competing in the long jump as the 29th seed with a qualifying distance of 6.24m (20'5.75"). In her three jumps, she continued to improve on each, landing her best of the day on the final attempt at 6.12m (20'1") to bump up nine spots to finish in 20th. 
 

Caught up with senior captain Camille Dickson on her @NCAATrackField East Prelim performance in the long jump today!#ThePursuit | #FightOnPenn???? pic.twitter.com/Jhz0edIdL1

— Penn Track & Field/XC (@PennTrack) May 27, 2021

Dickson ends her season with seven victories in the long jump this season, including setting the program record at 6.24m. 

Later in the evening, freshman Isabella Whittaker made some noise in her first postseason collegiate race, clocking a time of 52.62 in the 400m to finish third in heat one to qualify for Saturday's quarterfinals. As a whole, she finished 11th out of the 48 competitors in the first round, joining four other freshmen in the top 11. 
 

ONTO THE QUARTERS!

In her first collegiate postseason race, freshman Bella Whittaker finished third in heat one of the 400m with a time of 52.62 to qualify for Saturday's @NCAATrackField quarterfinals! #ThePursuit | #FightOnPenn???? pic.twitter.com/0NDQ6mevDI

— Penn Track & Field/XC (@PennTrack) May 27, 2021

She will now prepare for the quarterfinals on Saturday at 7:20 p.m.

In the final race for the Quakers on Thursday, Haley Rizek put together a strong performance in the 400m hurdles. Racing in heat three with a qualifying time of 59.68, she grinded in the second lane to grab seventh place in her heat with a time of 1:00.43, while finishing 38th overall. 

Rizek's season concludes with two new marks in the Penn record book, sitting third all-time in the 400m hurdles with a time of 59.68 and fifth in the heptathlon with 4,941 points.
 

Caught up with Haley Rizek last night on her @NCAATrackField East Prelim performance in the 400m hurdles and getting the opportunity to compete in Jacksonville this week!#ThePursuit | #FightOnPenn???? pic.twitter.com/y1RqXkFTgQ

— Penn Track & Field/XC (@PennTrack) May 28, 2021

The Quakers return to the track on Thursday with the men hitting the distance races. Michael Keehan and William Hare kicking it off at 6:10 p.m., in the 3,000m steeplechase before senior captain Ryan Renken and Noah Carey take on the 5,000m at 8:30 p.m.
   

FRIDAY RECAP:

The Quakers had two races for the men on Friday evening, led off by the 3,000m steeplechase for Michael Keehan and William Hare. 

Keehan got it underway in heat one, taking 13th place with a time of 9:15.47. His strongest split came on lap two, clocking a time of 1:08.23 to remain up in the lead pack. Hare took the track for heat three, keeping good pace for the first three laps but had to end his race in lap six. 

Keehan and Hare finish the year ranked in the top 10 in program history in the steeple, as Keehan sits sixth and Hare sits ninth. 

In the final men's race of the East Preliminaries for the Quakers, senior captain Ryan Renken and Noah Carey both raced in heat two of the 5,000m. Renken started off the race strong, maintaining a top-five spot through the first 600 meters, including a third-place mark at the 200m split with a time of 31.87. Carey paced himself through the first couple of laps and maintained a steady 1:06-1:10 average per lap to come through for a 12th place finish in the heat with a time of 13:58.71, while Renken grabbed 17th with a time of 14:12.15. 
 

Caught up with Ryan Renken and Noah Carey last night on their @NCAATrackField East Prelim performance in the 5k!#ThePursuit | #FightOnPenn???? pic.twitter.com/8Ogau2s9hs

— Penn Track & Field/XC (@PennTrack) May 29, 2021

The two made their marks this year in the program record books, as both set their spots in the top five in the 5,000m and the mile with Renken in third and Carey in fifth for each. Renken also set a top-three time in the 1,500m. 

Saturday wraps up the preliminaries with the final three women for the Quakers. At 1 p.m., Claire Moreau takes on the high jump. Later in the day, Tamara Grahovac will compete in the triple jump at 3:15 p.m., and the day concludes with Isabella Whittaker in the 400m quarterfinals at 7:20 p.m. 

SATURDAY RECAP:

Claire Moreau started it off for the Quakers on Saturday in the long jump, clearing the first two jumps at the highest mark of 1.72m (5'7.75"). She took 14th in the first flight and 30th overall. 

Later in the day, Tamara Grahovac competed in the triple jump, taking 42nd with a first-attempt clearance of 12.02m (39'5.25"). 

Moreau concludes her season as the second-best distance in program history in the high jump with a mark of 1.75m (5'8.75"), while Grahovac sits second in program history in the triple jump with a distance of 12.90m (42'4").

Isabella Whittaker wrapped up the weekend in the quarterfinals of the 400m, setting a new program record and qualifying for Eugene, Oregon with a 10th-place finish with a time of 51.92. She will now take her talents to the University of Oregon for the semifinals on June 10.