ORONO, Maine — Adam Lufkin of Clifton and Rachael Bergeron of Waterville are among three University of Maine track and field athletes who have earned spots in the NCAA East Preliminary meet scheduled Thursday through Saturday in Tampa, Florida.
Lufkin, a former Brewer High School standout, will compete in the discus at the event, where the Black Bears also will be represented by hammer throwers Bergeron and Alice Barnsdale.
The UMaine representatives earned spots based on their performances this spring. The East prelim includes the top 48 individuals in the region for each event.
Lufkin is set to compete on Thursday starting at 11:30 a.m. at the University of South Florida. He qualified 42nd in the 48-man field with a throw of 171 feet, 6 inches, which earned him the individual title at the America East championships held earlier this month in Baltimore.
That effort leaves Lufkin only is only 5 1/2 feet shy of Justin Gagne’s school-record throw of 177 feet achieved in 2014.
Bergeron is a senior who achieved the best hammer throw of her career in winning the America East title. Her heave of 200 feet, 4 inches sends her into the NCAA prelim ranked 25th in the region and is only three-quarters of an inch shy of the UMaine record held by Robyn McFetters (200-5 in 2016).
Bergeron followed up her conference crown by winning the hammer at the New England Championships, where she uncorked a throw of 195-7.
Barnsdale, a freshman from Market Rasen, England, is the 33rd-ranked hammer thrower in the East women’s field. She qualified with a 194-8 effort at the UCF Black and Gold Challenge in Florida on March 16, which ranks third best in program history.
Barnsdale placed second at the America East championships with a throw of 184-4.
All competitors will get three throws at the NCAA Prelim meets, with the top 12 from each region qualifying for the NCAA Championships June 6-9 in Eugene, Oregon.
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