Wright Ends Men's Track And Field Career At NCAA Outdoor Meet

Lucas Wright

Former Severna Park resident and McDonogh School graduate Lucas Wright finished in eighth place while representing Hamilton College in the finals of the men's 800-meter run at the 2021 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 29.

The championships were held at Irwin Belk Track Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina. Wright ended up in 14th place out of 20 athletes in the 800 meters at the 2019 national outdoor meet.

Wright started Saturday's race on the inside in Lane 1. He stayed on the inside of the track for the entire first lap and was fourth after the first 400 meters with a time of 57.931 seconds. Less than a half-second separated the eight athletes after a relatively slow opening lap.

The pace picked up considerably in the second lap and Wright slowly drifted to the back of the pack. He tried to make a move going around the final turn but posted a time of 1:54.28. His second 400 meters was actually faster than his first at 56.349 seconds. Mike Jasa of Loras College captured the 800-meter title with a time of 1:51.66.

Wright recorded a time of 1:53.05 in the preliminary heats. The top two finishers from each heat plus the next four fastest times advanced to the final. Wright owned the fourth-fastest time out of those next four as six runners from his heat advanced to the final.