Claire Palmer and Ian Larkin of the Middlebury women's and men's track and field squads competed on Thursday at the USA Track & Field Under-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Palmer contested the 5,000-meter run, while Larkin took part in the 3,000 steeplechase. Both events featured athletes from all three NCAA Divisions as well as unattached runners.

• PALMER HIGHLIGHTS
  • In the first event of the championships, Palmer crossed the finish line in seventh place with a combined time of 17:07.46.
  • The Panther maintained consistent splits throughout the race. Her best effort came at 1:16.77 during the 600m mark.
  • Palmer caps an outstanding rookie campaign that included All-American honors in cross country and both track and field championships.
  • Last fall, she became the sixth Middlebury runner regarded as the conference's rookie of the year. She also grabbed her initial All-NESCAC nod with a third-place finish at the conference meet.
  • Palmer claimed second in the 5,000 at the conference championship with a time of 16:47.80. She qualified for her initial outdoor track and field invitational, finishing 11th in the event.
• LARKIN HIGHLIGHTS
  • In the 3,000 steeplechase, Larkin claimed 10th after a clocking of 9:30.28.
  • The Panther kept each lap under the 1:17.00 mark throughout the race. His best clocking (1:13.29) came during the third split.
  • Larkin saw action in the event four times during his first year in the navy and white. His highest finish came in a third-place effort (9:26.86) at the Mangrum Invitational in California.
  • The Panther earned his initial all-region honor in the event after having the eighth-quickest time (9:16.96) in the Mideast.

The top two finishers in each event qualify for the U20 World Track and Field Championships if they meet the world championship standard. The four-day meet begins on Wednesday, August 5 at Hayward Field.