On day 1 on the NCAA West Regional in Austin, Texas the Ottawa Lions were represented by two standout athletes, Adam Palamar in the 1500m and Samantha Murphy in the 800m.
Palamar, a freshman at the University of Tulsa, failed to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals despite producing his second best effort with a time of 3:49.13. The defending Canadian Junior Champion came out on the short end of a tight finish. With the top five advancing to the quarters, Palamar ended up in the dreaded 6th place. His time was just 0.04 seconds off of 5th and 0.09 from 3rd as the top seven runners were separated by less than four tenths.
In the women’s 800m, Samantha Murphy looked in complete control of her heat. Letting her competitors take the lead through the first 400m, Murphy began to create space from the field as she hit the bell. She wouldn’t look back, running to a 10m victory in 2:04.86. The time is a new outdoor best for Illinois junior who finished 4th at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. Next up for Murphy is the quarterfinals Friday night scheduled for 8pm eastern.
