Results (1,500-meter run)

Results (Overall)

Freshman distance runner Eric Jenkins (Portsmouth, N.H.) concluded his unprecedented rookie campaign in the semifinal race of the 1,500-meter run at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday evening.

The Portsmouth, N.H. product finished 11th in his heat, 19th overall, after kicking out a time of 3:51.21 in the 1,500-meter race at Drake Stadium (hosted by Drake University). Jenkins' mark was his sixth-best of the season as the first-year phenom beat out five other harriers in his first trip to collegiate track & field's most elite stage.

“Eric has had a fantastic year and has represented the Huskies very well,” Northeastern University distance coach Renny Waldron said. “He's done a lot of which he can be proud of. To be the only freshman in the country to make NCAA's is quite an accomplishment. While tonight's race didn't go as he would have wanted, it was a learning experience for him and he'll walk away from this meet feeling hungry for next year.”

Arkansas' Dorian Ulrey emerged atop the 24-man heap with a winning clip of 3:42.44 while Matthew Centrowitz of Oregon won the heat Jenkins competed after crossing the 1,500-meter line in 3:48.67 (ninth overall).

Jenkins best time of the season in the 1,500-meter came at the New England Outdoor Championship. The Huskies' newcomer won his first New England crown with a run of 3:46.04. Jenkins' time was the fastest a freshman has ever run in Northeastern history and the fifth quickest of all-time.

Despite his season coming to an end at the national semifinal, Jenkins has cemented himself as a national force to be reckoned with and will help carry the flag and raise Northeastern's track & field program to new heights in the near future.