MIAMI (June 8, 2017) – FIU's last two student-athletes standing – actually jumping; sophomore Clarissa Cutliff (Orlando, Florida/Edgewater High School) and senior Chris Sullivan (Cocoa Beach, Florida/Cocoa Beach Senior High School) – head to the Pacific Northwest to take part in the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Oregon's historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, June 7-10. The duo, each competing in the high jump, will close out FIU's intercollegiate competition for the 2016-17 academic year.
 
The tandem marks highest number of individuals to advance to the NCAA Championships under the tutelage of FIU track and field Head Coach Ryan Heberling.
 
Sullivan will be the first of the two Panthers to compete, taking to the track on Friday, June 9 at 8 p.m. (ET) in his first NCAA Championship. Sullivan qualified for the championships after posting a height of 2.10m at the NCAA East Regional Prelims in Lexington, Kentucky on June 27, taking a share of eighth place. Sullivan's regional height was just shy of tying his own school record of 2.12m set at the University of Miami Hurricane Alumni Invitational on April 8.
 
Cutliff will compete on Saturday, June 10, at 6 p.m. (ET). The defending Conference USA outdoor high jump champion, Cutliff tied her own school record in the event on May 26 at the East Regionals, with a mark of 1.82m, good enough for sixth-place. It was the third time this season she has leapt over the bar at that height. She also cleared 1.82m in back-to-back meets at the Florida Relays on April 1 and at the University of South Florida on April 21. This will be Cutliff's second appearance at an NCAA event this year. In February, Cutliff, the reigning C-USA indoor high jump champion, earned Second-Team All-America honors finishing 13th with a height of 1.76m at the NCAA Championships.
 
Fans can watch all the action by clicking the link for broadcast information below. A detailed event schedule can also be found below.
 
FIUSports.com had an opportunity to talk with Heberling, graduate assistant coach/jump coach Katrina DeKrey, along with Sullivan and Cutliff about this week's NCAA Championships. Click here to see the complete interview.
 
2017 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS INFORMATION
- Wednesday, June 7-Saturday, June 10; University of Oregon, Hayward Field; Eugene, Oregon
- Click the following links for: NCAA Championship Central | Oregon's NCAA Meet Central
- Click here for complete NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships schedule of events
- Click here for daily live results
- Click the following links for live video stream: Friday (Sullivan, 8 p.m. [ET]) | Saturday (Cutliff, 6 p.m. [ET]).

Fans are encouraged to follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUTrackXC) for all the latest FIU Track and Cross Country news.
 
Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Riccardo Silva Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 56,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.