Women's Track & Field | 5/26/2021 7:34:00 PM
UPDATE (Thursday)
Prelims - Heat 1
2. Wilson 1:01.91 (season-best); advances to finals
Prelims - Heat 2
7. Dispenza 1:06.21
Saturday
Finals - 2:15 PM -
WATCH | LIVE RESULTS
Head Coach Dave Warth on Thursday's prelims:
"Harley ran her usual smart race, getting out smoothly and then finishing in a flourish. She shot off the 10th hurdle to run herself into the automatic qualifying second spot by three one-hundredths of a second. She is well positioned to have a breakout race in the finals on Saturday.
"Marissa battled really well today and had a great start but, unfortunately it wasn't the finish we wanted. She did a great job competing and being ready for this championship."
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – RIT seniors
Harley Wilson (Bel Air, MD/Bel Air) and
Marissa Dispenza (Batavia, NY/Batavia) will compete in the 400 hurdles this Thursday (May 27) at the 2021 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C.
The 400 hurdle prelims are scheduled to start at 4:25 p.m. Seeded 10th out of 21 competitors, Wilson is slated compete in the first of three heats, before 13th-seeded Dispenza takes the track in heat two. The top two finishers in each heat, plus the next two fastest times, move on to Saturday's finals at 2:15 p.m. to compete for a national championship.
Wilson will be in the hunt for her third All-America finish after placing fifth in the event in 2019 and sixth in 2018. She posted her fastest time of the season (1:02.69) in winning her third Atlantic Region Championship (May 20) after also winning her third Liberty League crown (May 8).
Not counting her two previous NCAA Championships appearances, Wilson has won 18 of the 20 career 400 hurdle races she has competed in an RIT uniform, finishing second in the other two. She set a PR of 1:00.78 in winning the Geneseo May Meet in 2019.
A U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team honoree, Wilson recently completed a degree in biochemistry with a minor in Japanese. She also completed Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) training and was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy, branching Surface Warfare.
Dispenza qualified for her first NCAA Championship after finishing second (PR 1:03.30) at the Atlantic Region Championships last week to complete a 1-2 Tigers sweep. She also finished runner-up in the 400 hurdles as well as in the 100 hurdles at the Liberty League Championships.
Dispenza has enjoyed a standout career in Orange and Black, ranking among the top hurdlers in the region since 2016. She was crowned Liberty League Champion in the 100 hurdles and ran a leg on the victorious 4x400 relay as the 2017 Outdoor Championship, adding a second-place effort in the 400 hurdles as well. Her resume also includes third-place efforts in the 100 and 400 hurdles during the 2018 Liberty League Outdoor championships, as well as a second-place 400-hurdle finish in 2016.
A USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honoree, Dispenza recently graduated with a degree in sustainable engineering.
