Big West Adds Seven to NCAA Finals List At West Regional Meet

Links associated with this release:
NCAA Division I Track and Field West Regional Results

5/25/2012

Big West track and field continued to impress at the NCAA West Prelim Meet in Austin, Texas advancing seven more competitors to the NCAA Track and Field Finals and four athletes to the last day of prelims Saturday.

Starting off the competition for the day, UC Davis’ Ashley Hearn posted a school record discus throw of 54.13 to punch her ticket to the national championship.  Hearn will join teammate Sarah Sumpter who qualified in the 10,000-meter run on Thursday.

Continuing success in the field events, senior 49er Katrina Graves-Johnson and Cal Poly’s Whitney Sisler took top marks to advance to the finals in the women’s high jump.  Sisler matched her season best clearing 5-feet, 10.75 inches in the NCAA qualifiers tying for first in her flight.  Graves Johnson cleared 5-feet, 9.25 inches to advance on her fourth attempt.

UC Riverside had a pair of field competitors to advance on the second day, joining Travis Smith who qualified in shot put.  Caleb Stuart advanced in the men’s hammer throw with a program record distance of 63.60, good enough for fifth place in the event.  Ryan Swafford placed seventh in the men’s triple jump to set his lifetime best of 15.80m in his second attempt.

On the track, two runners will advance to Des Moines in the men’s 800-meter for the Big West.  Leading the duo was Ryan Martin of UC Santa Barbara clocking a 1:47.79 for second place followed by familiar foe Charles Jock of Irvine with a time of 1:47.93.

Four more athletes competed with top marks to advance to the final round of prelims on Saturday.  UC Santa Barbara’s Barbara Nwaba and Long Beach State’s Shakina Phillips will compete in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, while Jacob Yowell of UC Irvine will compete for the men’s 110-meter hurdles.  Closing out the track events was Kemar Marsden who advanced in the first round of the men’s 200-meter run for Cal State Northridge, looking to get his spot to Nationals.

The final day at the NCAA Track and Field West Regional will conclude with competition in five field events and 12 track runs.  The Big West has 11 representatives who have already punched their ticket to the NCAA Finals in Des Moines, Iowa June 6-9.