JACKSONVILLE, FL – Graduate student Sara Gardner (Holland Township, NJ/Delaware Valley) of the Rider University track and field team competed in the 100m hurdles on Friday afternoon at the NCAA East Preliminary Championship. The three-day event is contested at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium.

"This was a great race for Sara today," Rider Head Coach Bob Hamer said. "It was really important for her to advance farther than she did last year in this meet. She was technically very good today and now she gets an opportunity to race to get to the NCAA finals tomorrow. It will be an exciting race for her."

Gardner finished fourth in her heat and posted the 19th-best mark overall in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.46 to advance to tomorrow's quarterfinal race.

The quarterfinal round will consist of three heats of eight competitors. Twelve, the top three from each quarterfinal round heat plus the next best three times, after tie breaking, will qualify from the quarterfinal round to the semifinal round at the NCAA Championships.

Gardner will run tomorrow at 7:05 pm.