MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama track and field team ended its season at the first round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships Saturday in Greensboro, N.C.

Distance runner Saber Salah was the only Jag to advance to the semifinals of any competition after placing 13th out of 46 competitors in the preliminary round of the 1,500 meters Thursday. Salah went on to cross the line 13th in the semifinals with a time of 3:46.79 Saturday. The Strasborg, France, native fell short of qualifying for the national competition by a little over a second – the top 12 in each event moved on to the NCAA Championships.

Sophomore Angela McCord landed in the top half in the preliminary javelin competition with a throw of 42.66m/139-11.5 on the first day of competition. McCord’s mark was good for 20th place out of 43 competitors, although she didn’t advance to the finals. Teammate Noelle Jones, also competing in the javelin, fouled out.

Senior distance runner Micah Tirop placed 22nd in the preliminary 10,000 meters out of 31 runners with a time of 31:05.63. Sophomore Latifah Johnson also missed a qualifying mark, placing 35th out of 46 throwers in the women’s hammer throw with a 51.92m/174-04.00 toss.

“With the exception of Micah Tirop, all of our qualifiers this year will be back,” USA head track and field coach Paul Brueske said. “We have more and more kids qualifying for postseason competition each year, and we expect even more to advance next year. The future is bright as long as we keep working hard.”

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).