UCI’s Rabbitt Not Fast Enough in NCAA Meet

Buffy Rabbitt of UC Irvine ran the third-fastest women’s 1,500-meter time in Anteater history but failed to qualify for the final of the NCAA track and field championships Thursday at Baton Rouge, La.

Rabbitt, a freshman, ran 4 minutes 20.38 seconds to finish third in the first heat. The top two runners from each heat and the next six fastest times qualify for the finals.

Jill Harrington of Irvine also missed qualifying in the 1,500-meter race by finishing eighth in a time of 4:22.5. Harrington, a senior, holds the school record for the 1,500 meters in 4:14.9.

Angela Chalmers of Northern Arizona had the fastest time of the day in the 1,500 meters, winning her heat in 4:15.29. The final qualifier finished in 4:19.21.

In the men’s division, Richard Graves of UCI missed qualifying for the 5,000-meter final by finishing eighth in his heat in 14:12.6.

The Anteaters’ Karin Grelsson, a sophomore from Sweden, will compete today in the women’s heptathlon, beginning with the 100-meter hurdles at 6:15 p.m.