LEXINGTON, Ky. – Carlos Santos Jr. became the first Stony Brook University male track & field student-athlete to qualify for and advance to the NCAA Championships on Friday evening. Santos Jr. punched his ticket to Eugene, Oregon with a time of 8:42.35 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in the quarterfinals at the University of Kentucky.
 

𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐎𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 🎟️

Carlos Santos, Jr. becomes the first Stony Brook male track and field athlete to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

🌊🐺 x #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/1f77xes7ra

— Stony Brook XC/TF (@StonyBrookXCTF) May 24, 2024

HIGHLIGHTS

• Santos Jr. secured the final qualifying spot, joining 11 other athletes from the East Region for a trip to the big dance. He becomes the first Stony Brook male student-athlete to advance to the NCAA Championships.
• George Franks clocked a 46.00 in the 400-meter quarterfinals, narrowly missing out on punching his ticket to Eugene and concluding a record-setting rookie season.
• Collin Gilstrap finished a fantastic freshman campaign with a time of 3:48.03 in the 1,500 meter quarterfinals.

QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"Great night for our men's program with Carlos becoming our first male to make it to the final site of the NCAA Championships," head coach Andy Ronan said. "He gave it everything he had against a very competitive field and was rewarded with a ticket to the big dance at the University of Oregon. For track & field athletes and fans Eugene is considered the home of track & field."

"George Franks was very close to joining Carlos on the flight to the west coast, just missing out on a qualifying spot by .19 of second. George has had a tremendous year and will gain a lot from this experience, as will our other freshman, Collin Gilstrap," Ronan added. "While tonight may not have gone as we hoped, he too has been fantastic this year, he leaves here with valuable experience that will only make him a better athlete."

NEXT UP
Santos advances to the NCAA Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, which will take place at the University of Oregon in Eugene from June 4-8.

For an inside look at the Seawolves track & field program, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.