Pennsauken’s Bryce Tucker ran a 400-meter hurdles PR for the 2nd time in three days and advanced to the NCAA Championship semifinals next month at Hayward Field.
Tucker, a Rutgers sophomore, ran 50.00 Friday and finished 2nd in the 2nd of three semifinal races in the NCAA East Prelims at Hodges Stadium on the North Florida campus in Jacksonville.
Tucker had a PR of 50.61 until he ran 50.52 in the first round at East prelims on Wednesday. That advanced him to the quarterfinals, where his 50.00 was 8th-fastest and earned him an auto qualifier to Eugene as one of the top three placers in his heat.
His time is 4th-fastest ever by a South Jersey intermediate hurdler, behind Winslow’s Reuben McCoy [48.37 in Eugene in 2008], Paulsboro’s Fred Sharpe [48.86 in Knoxville in 2003] and Camden’s Dwight Ruff [49.50 in Sacramento in 2003].
He ran within 18-100ths of a second of the school record of 49.82 s4et at the 2022 NCAA East Prelims in Bloomington, Ind., by Hunterdon Central’s Jameson Woodell.
His time is 27th among U.S. men this year.
Next for Tucker is the NCAA Championships semifinals in Eugene, scheduled for 5:41 p.m. on June 11, with the final following at 6:27 p.m. on June 13.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 