Stanciu and Anderson Advance to National Final in Indoor Mile
3/14/2025 1:53:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
ROCHESTER, NY. – Day one of the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships saw UC Santa Cruz advance two runners to tomorrow's Championship finals in the men's and women's mile. This is the first NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship with both a male and female student-athlete at the event.
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Eric Anderson got things started for the Banana Slugs as the senior fought well through the second heat to earn an automatic qualifying spot, winning his heat in 4:12.89. The tactical race saw Anderson near the back of the pack for the first 809m, splitting 2:10.48. Anderson stayed patient for the next two laps before making his move, fighting through some contact after getting boxed in. Anderson dropped a 30.07s and a 28.50s to close out the race, winning the second heat in 4:12.89. Notably, Anderson enters tomorrow as the No. 2 seed after the prelims while entering the weekend as the reigning National Runner Up in this race last season.
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On the women's side, Elena Stanciu made headlines in her NCAA debut, running a 4:56.35 out of the second heat for a new program record and personal best to advance to tomorrow's Championship final. Stanciu ran a strong race from start to finish, taking the first three laps fairly controlled before attaching herself to the lead pack to put herself in good position for the second half of the race. Stanciu dropped two sub 37s laps in 36.69s and 36.46s to take fifth in her heat with a 4:56.35. The time was just fast enough to earn one of two time qualifying spots, earning the ninth spot heading into the tomorrow's final.
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Eric Anderson got things started for the Banana Slugs as the senior fought well through the second heat to earn an automatic qualifying spot, winning his heat in 4:12.89. The tactical race saw Anderson near the back of the pack for the first 809m, splitting 2:10.48. Anderson stayed patient for the next two laps before making his move, fighting through some contact after getting boxed in. Anderson dropped a 30.07s and a 28.50s to close out the race, winning the second heat in 4:12.89. Notably, Anderson enters tomorrow as the No. 2 seed after the prelims while entering the weekend as the reigning National Runner Up in this race last season.
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On the women's side, Elena Stanciu made headlines in her NCAA debut, running a 4:56.35 out of the second heat for a new program record and personal best to advance to tomorrow's Championship final. Stanciu ran a strong race from start to finish, taking the first three laps fairly controlled before attaching herself to the lead pack to put herself in good position for the second half of the race. Stanciu dropped two sub 37s laps in 36.69s and 36.46s to take fifth in her heat with a 4:56.35. The time was just fast enough to earn one of two time qualifying spots, earning the ninth spot heading into the tomorrow's final.
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Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Middle Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
