Former Danvers High runner Drew Piazza advanced to Friday's finals of the NCAA Division 1 Track & Field Championships. Piazza, a senior at Virginia Tech, earned his slot by winning his heat of Wednesday's semifinals with a time of 1 minute, 46.75 seconds. The four-day meet is being held at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field.
Since graduating from Danvers in 2013, Piazza has excelled at the college level, particularly this year. As a high-schooler, he enjoyed moderate success. During his senior year, he finished third in the 600m at the Indoor State Meet and was fourth in the 800m at the Outdoor States where he had a PB of 1:55.17.
This past indoor season, Piazza has emerged as one of the top collegiate middle-distance stars. On Feb. 13 in his home state, he won the 1,000m at David Hemery Valentine Invitational with a best of 2:21.97. He was second in the 800m at the ACC Championships and capped off the winter by taking runner-up honors at the NCAA T&F Championships. On the outdoor surface this spring, Piazza captured the ACC Championships and the NCAA Div. 1 East Championships. On April 22, he clocked his current best of 1:46.02 for the two-lapper by placing third at the Virginia Challenge.