PUEBLO, CO – Opening day of the 2023 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field championships will be busy for the University of Mary as three Marauders are set to compete in three different events on Thursday, May 25. On the women's side, Morgan Hertz races in the 400 meter hurdles with Arianna Passeri competing in the long jump. Raheem Taitt-Best represents the men's program in the 400 meter run.
 
The NCAA DII championships run Thursday through Saturday, May 25-27, in Pueblo, CO, at the Neta & Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.
 
Making her third appearance at an NCAA championship event, Passeri is up first for the Marauders. The women's long jump final is scheduled for 3:30 pm CT. Taitt-Best awaits the starters gun in the men's 400 preliminaries at 6:55 pm CT. Hertz wraps up opening day for the Marauders in the women's 400 meter hurdles preliminaries at 8:40 pm CT.
 
Both Hertz and Taitt-Best are making their NCAA championship debuts.
 
The men's 400 final is slated for 7:25 pm CT on Saturday, May 27, with the women's 400 hurdles final at 8:20 pm CT.
 
A 2-time All-American, Passeri earned 2nd team honors in the long jump at the 2022 indoor championships after placing 11^th. The junior from Rosemount, MN, claimed 1st team All-American honors following a 6th place finish in the long jump at the 2023 indoor championships. The 2023 Northern Sun outdoor champion ranks 11th in the nation with a top mark of 6.11 meters this season, set at the Pacific Coast Invitational.
 
Hertz, a junior from Mott, ND, won the 2023 Northern Sun outdoor title in the 400 meter hurdles with a career-best time of 59.65 seconds, just missing the UMary school record by .02 seconds. Hertz ranks 11th in the country. 
 
The Northern Sun conference outdoor champion in both the 200 and 400 meter dash, Taitt-Best broke NSIC and UMary records on back-to-back days in the 400 with his top mark of the season (46.94 seconds) coming in the finals. The freshman from Bridgetown, Barbados, ranks 18th in the 400 on the national leader board.
 
UNIVERSITY OF MARY SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 25
3:30 pm CT | Women's Long Jump finals | Arianna Passeri
6:55 pm CT | Men's 400 meter run preliminaries | Raheem Taitt-Best
8:40 pm CT | Women's 400 meter hurdles preliminaries | Morgan Hertz
 
Saturday, May 27
7:25 pm CT | Men's 400 meter run finals
8:20 pm CT | Women's 400 hurdles finals
 
Links to live results and video are available at www.GoUMary.com/coverage
 
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