Complete Results

Freshman Dakota Peachee of the High Point University men's track & field team placed 23rd in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in the first round of the NCAA Championship on Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. Freshman Josh Pelletier placed 42nd in the javelin.

"Dakota ran a very competitive race and stayed near the top 12, which would have sent him to the national championship, for most of the race," said HPU head coach Mike Esposito. "He had a good breakthrough at Georgia Tech and ran better today. Now we'll get ready for the U.S. Junior National Championship in June."

Peachee's time of 8:58.72 was a career-best, just beating his performance of 8:59.62 from the Georgia Tech Invitational two weeks ago. It also lowered the HPU record, which Peachee set at Georgia Tech. He was the second freshman to cross the line, as he was edged by freshman Dylan Sorensen of Georgetown (8:58.62).

Pelletier threw the javelin 57.53 meters (188-9) to place 42nd. He was one of six freshmen in the field of 48. Pelletier was well off his season best of 65.97 meters (216-5), which set an HPU record at the Big South Championship on April 15. Pelletier has advanced the HPU javelin record by nearly 30 feet, as the record prior to this season was 189-3 set by Bill Kimmel in 1987.

Both Peachee and Pelletier will compete in the USATF Junior National Championship in late June in Des Moines, Iowa.

On Thursday, senior Josh Morgan competed in the 1,500-meter and seniors Jesse Cherry and Cole Atkins competed in the 10,000-meter. All three came up short and exited their races early.

Morgan finished his career as a two-time Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year and two-time Big South champion in the 800-meter. He ran a career-best 3:46.13 in the 1,500-meter at the Joe Hilton Carolina Fast Times meet on April 10 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Cherry entered Thursday's race ranked fourth with his HPU-record time of 28:44.05 from the Stanford Invitational at the end of March. Atkins finished his career as HPU's No. 2 all-time 10K runner with his career-best time of 29:20.77, which was also run at the Stanford Invitational.