Greensboro, NC - Elizabeth Foster and Kaycee Martinez, two University of Hartford track and field athletes, closed out the 2009 spring season at the NCAA East Regionals Friday and Saturday, marking the second-straight season ? and just the second time in the history of the program ? that the Hawks have made individual appearances in the event.  This year, the NCAA East Regionals were hosted by North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, NC.

In her second consecutive NCAA Regionals appearance, Martinez competed in the 400-meter hurdles, an event she has dominated all season with five wins in 2009. The junior, who posted a 29th place finish last season at the 2008 NCAA East Regionals, ran a time of 1:02.42, finishing in 32nd place overall. Martinez qualified for the Regionals while competing at the 2009 New England Championships where she ran an NCAA qualifying time of 1:00.57 in the preliminaries and won the event with a time of 1:01.49.

Foster, a senior, made her first NCAA East Regional appearance over the weekend, running the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She posted a time of 10:54.12, placing 21st overall. Foster became the first Hartford Hawk to run an NCAA qualifying time when she did so in the steeplechase at the University of Massachusetts on April 11. She ran a time of 10:49.63 in that meet and ran a season-best time at the America East Championships, where she won the event and broke her previous school record with a time of 10:43.30.

The top finishers in each event automatically qualify for the NCAA Championship, hosted by the University of Arkansas on June 10-13. Student-athletes who place sixth or lower will be considered for an at-large selection to the national competition.