The William & Mary men's track and field team opened the NCAA Eastern Prelims with two competitors on Thursday, with both men bowing in the national semifinal round.  All-American Brian Waterfield (Chesapeake, Va.) had the top finish of the day, taking 14th in the hammer throw to finish just two spots shy of advancing the NCAA finals.  His first throw was his best, 65.15m (213-9), which is tied for the fourth-best throw in school history.  Waterfield's collegiate career comes to a close with 13 of the top-14 hammer throws ever at W&M, and he had six throws of 212 feet or better this spring alone.  He still has a chance of being invited to the Olympic Trials this summer, as he ranks 25th on the U.S. list (the top-24 declared athletes can compete).  Fellow All-American Derek O'Connell (Virginia Beach, Va.) competed in the pole vault, electing to pass the first two bars and come in at 5.15m (16-10.75).  Despite three good attempts, however, he failed to clear the mark he had beaten four times already this spring.  O'Connell still has one more season of eligilibity, and will return to W&M next winter to take one more shot at a national title indoors.

The NCAA Prelims continue Friday, with W&M competing in both the javelin throw and the 3,000m steeplechase.