van Ingen wins 2nd heat; Advances to 1500 Final

6/7/2012 (Updated 10:47:21 PM)

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Erik van Ingen has advanced to the finals of the 1,500 at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which are being held at Drake University. The three-time All-American won the second of two ipreliminary heats with a time of 3:42.57.

The top five finishers in each of the two preliminary heats plus the next two fastest times advance to Saturdays final, which will be run at 12:15 p.m. and televised live on ESPNU. Ryan Hill of NC State won the first preliminary heat with a time of 3:39.84.

van Ingen has now advanced to the 1,500 finals two years in a row. He was sixth overall in the finals last year. The other two All-America honors for van Ingen came at the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships. He was fifth and seventh respectively in the mile.

The USTFCCCA will award first-team All-America honors to finishers 1-8 in each individual event at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Finishers 9-16 will earn second-team All-America honors while finishers 17-24 will be named honorable mention All-Americans.

The 2012 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships marks the seventh appearance by van Ingen at a national championship meet. In addition to last years outdoor championships, he competed in the 2010-12 NCAA Indoor Championships as well as the 2009 and 2010 national cross country championships. van Ingen was sixth overall in the 1,500 at last years outdoor meet. He placed fifth in the mile at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships and was seventh this past March. His highest finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships was 43rd overall in 2010.

In Binghamtons 11-year NCAA Division I era, van Ingen has taken part in more NCAA Championship events than any other Bearcat athlete. Rory Quiller qualified for five NCAA meets in the pole vault between 2005 and 2008. In wrestling, Josh Patterson, Justin Lister, Nate Schiedel and Donnie Vinson have all qualified for three NCAA Championship Meets.

Quiller is Binghamtons only other athlete to have earned NCAA All-America honors three times. After placing second at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships in the pole vault, he tied for fourth at the ensuing outdoor meet and won the schools first-ever Division I national title at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships.

courtesy: bubearcats.com