Richmond, Va. – Three VCU athletes qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Region First Round in Jacksonville, Fla. May 28-31.
 
Three time All-American Gudrun Hallgrimsdottir and Blanca Pereira will represent the Rams in the hammer throw while Sophomore Madi Griffin will compete in the javelin throw. 
 
Hallgrimsdottir, who earned fifth at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the hammer with a mark of 69.12 meters, is looking to add to her impressive resume, as the Iceland native notched national runner-up honors in the 2025 indoor season while competing in the weight throw. 
 
Hallgrimsdottir currently owns the best mark in the region of 69.92 meters, which she recorded at the Dani Palooza Last Chance meet on May 18. Further, the senior won gold in the hammer at the 2025 Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championships with a best throw of 67.22 meters. 
 
For Pereira and Griffin, this marks each of their second time qualifying for the NCAA East First Round. Last season, Pereira earned 23rd with a top mark of 58.15 meters in the hammer, while Griffin finished with a top distance of 41.23 meters in the javelin. 
 
Pereira earned silver in the hammer at the A-10 Outdoor Championships with a best throw of 58.80 meters, and the Spain native owns the seventh best mark in the region with a distance of 61.33 meters recorded at the UCF Black and Gold Challenge. 
 
Griffin, like Pereira, secured a silver medal in the javelin at the A-10 Championships with a top throw of 48.16 meters, which currently ranks eighth in the East region.
 
The hammer throw is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday, May 29, followed by the javelin throw at 2:30 p.m. that same day.
 
The East First Round feature the top 48 student-athletes in the eastern region in each event. The top 12 finishers in each event this week will qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 5-8 in Eugene, Oregon.