Complete results
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The contingent of seven student-athletes at the NCAA West Region Preliminary Championships are battling more than their race competitors, as Mother Nature has firmly inserted herself into the conversation at Rock Chalk Park. However, thus far in the rain-soaked three-day event, one Don has conquered the track and the weather, as junior Charlotte Taylor highlighted the competition for USF on Friday.

Lightning and more than four inches of rain drowned out Thursday's competition and altered the race schedule for everyone in the regional field. The weather woes continued on Friday as inclement weather plagued the Lawrence area throughout the day.

Taylor's 10,000 meter event, initially scheduled for Thursday evening, was moved to open the day's events on Friday morning. She responded to the change with gusto and grit, punching her ticket to the NCAA Final where she'll toe the line with the nation's top 24 on June 9, in Eugene, Ore.

Taylor opened the semifinal race nearly where she finished, as she took the twelfth qualifying spot in the finals after completing the 10K in 34:32.82.

"Charlotte executed her race plan perfectly," explained head coach Helen Lehman-Winters. "We told her beforehand there was no difference between first and twelfth – they call go to the NCAA final – and she was super patient and ran just fast enough to grab the last qualifying spot.

"She is something special, qualifying for the final in her first ever NCAA appearance. I don't think today took much out of her, and we are excited about what she is capable of doing in Eugene in two weeks."

After starting with the 11th-fastest qualifying time, she took her spot in the lead pack from the outset. At the 5,600 meter mark, she fell to 14th in the race, but one lap later had recovered to regain her spot in the top 10. At the 8,000 meter point, Taylor had climbed has high as fifth in the standings closing the race in 12th and earning her place in the national final in just her second 10K race of her collegiate career.

Also on the track in the 10K on Friday morning was the Dons duo of Matt Leach and Alex Short. Both newcomers to the NCAA Regionals this season, Leach finished the race in 30:37.07 to take 26th and Short's time of 30:33.96 was good for 29th.

Steeplechaser Ryan Driscoll also felt the effects of a weather-altered race plan. After two heats of the 3,000 meter steeplechase were completed, lightening forced an extensive delay at the track, leaving Driscoll waiting for the start for nearly four hours. When the gun went off, he stayed competitive in his heat for the first two laps before finishing the heat in 16th with a time of 9:30.47.

 "It has been a very long last two days with all of the weather delays and we have not gotten the results that we hoped for," noted Lehman-Winters. "We have three more student-athletes competing tomorrow, and we're hoping for a strong finish to the weekend."

Tomorrow, Hugh Nicklason and Kate Jamboretz lace up in the 1,500 meters, which is now being run as a quarterfinal with the top two finishers in each heat and next four fastest times advancing to Oregon. Weronika Pyzik rounds out the Dons in action on Saturday, competing in the 5,000 meter semifinal where the top 12 finishers will advance to Eugene.