JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- High Point University was represented by two athletes in the first day of competition at the NCAA First Round Championships on the campus of the University of North Florida. Chris Van Niekerk threw in the shotput before Terris Burton II ran in the 400m hurdles to cap the night.

Entering the field with the 37th best mark of the season in the East, Van Niekerk finished 27th in the shot put with a toss of 17.99m on his second attempt.

Burton brought excitement to the 400m hurdles, edging out Alabama's Clayton Elder for third place in his heat with a season-best time of 51.44 seconds. In the event, the top-three finishers in each heat along with the next six fastest times qualify for the quarterfinals on Friday. The race will be run at 7:25 p.m. at Hodges Stadium.