When Binghamton graduate student Jesse Garn finished fifth in the first heat of the 800-meter final at the East Regional Meet, he thought his hopes at a repeat trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon were dashed.
“Immediately afterward I thought that I’d probably just got bumped out and that this was going to be awful,” Garn said.
The top three runners in each of three heats and the next three fastest times overall earned bids to nationals. After failing to gain an automatic spot in his heat, Garn’s fate rested on the performances of the runners in the last two heats.
After the final runners came down the line, however, Garn knew that his time of 1:47.35 would be just quick enough to earn him the 12th and final qualifying spot.
“They crossed the line and it was a little bit slower and I knew that I had just gotten in,” he said. “It went from a moment of terror to just a surreal, overwhelming moment for me.”
Garn’s path to the regional meet was not without hardship: a nagging calf injury prevented him from competing during the indoor season as well as at the America East (AE) Outdoor Championships earlier this month.
“This year was definitely challenging, having to deal with injuries during [the indoor season] and not being able to compete,” Garn said. “I just did a lot of swimming, cross-training — basically everything except running — to try and keep in shape.”
Garn’s perseverance earned him another trip to the NCAA Outdoor Nationals, where he achieved All-American status last season for his fourth-place finish in the 800-meter.
Also competing at the East Regional Meet were senior pole vaulter Joe Miceli, junior distance runner Eric Holt and sophomore high jumper Ted Okon.
Miceli, who won the AE pole vault title, finished 21st at the meet, reaching a height of 16 ¾. Holt, who took first in the 1500-meter at the AE Outdoor Championships, finished 25th in the preliminary rounds of the East Regional, missing the chance to compete in the finals by just one spot. Okon was disqualified after failing to pass the qualifying height in the high jump event.
Garn is scheduled to return to action at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from June 8 to 11. Starting times have yet to be announced.