Disappointing day for Pitt track and field as Desmond Palmer, 4x400 relay team miss finals

Members of Pitt's track and field team had a rough day at the NCAA National Championships on Wednesday. Competing for a shot at the finals, all four participating Panthers failed to achieve that goal.

The team's headliner, Desmond Palmer, was ranked fourth in the nation in the 400m hurdles. But running a 50.21, he finished fourth in his heat and only seventh overall, which wasn't enough to advance him to the finals.

The Panthers' other three semifinalists, Donnell Taylor, Chris Tate, and Brylan Slay, joined Palmer to compete in the 4x400 relay. However, the team finished eighth and did not advance to the finals, either.

There's no question that it was a disappointing day for Palmer, especially. However, not making the national finals shouldn't dampen the fact that he had a pretty good year. He repeated as the ACC's champion in the 400m hurdles event and had a strong season. It was also good to see the relay team back in the NCAAs after missing the event last year.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter@PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author and founder/editor @AnsonWhaley.