Former locals qualify for NCAA Regionals
From college reports INDIANAPOLIS
— The Samford University track and field team’s historic 2017 campaign continued in strong fashion Thursday as a school-record 12 Bulldogs, including former Calhoun High standout Keyth Fightmaster, qualified to compete in the NCAA East Regional to be held in Lexington, Kentucky, from May 25-27, it was officially announced by the
Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Committee.
An unprecedented total, Samford will boast seven men and five women in the upcoming NCAA Regional. The Bulldogs’ Marquis Barnes (Long jump), Keyth Fightmaster (High jump), Arsène Guillorel (10,000m), Brandon Hazouri (800m), Gavin Gautreau (Pole vault), Tray Oates (Pole vault) and Emmanuel Tait (100m) will represent the men’s side of Samford’s roster.
The Bulldogs’ women’s representatives in the NCAA East Regional will be Emma Garner (3,000m steeple), Tonia McKinley (100m), Karisa Nelson ( 1500m), Courtney Prengaman (High jump) and Selena Popp (High jump).
The preliminary competitions are scheduled for May 25-27. The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, will host the East Regional and the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, will host the West Regional.
The qualifiers out of these two regions will compete in the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 7-10 in Eugene, Oregon.
In other recent college track and field news:
Reynolds qualifies for NCAA Preliminary STARKVILLE, Miss.
Twenty-two Bulldogs, including former Gordon Central High standout Haley Reynolds, have qualified in 24 events for the NCAA East Preliminary round of the track and field postseason, the NCAA announced Wednesday.
The women’s squad will have 11 representatives, while the men will also take 11 athletes and two relay groups to Lexington, Kentucky May 25-27. The qualifiers out of the East Region will compete in the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 7-10 in Eugene, Oregon.
Mia Meydrich and Leah Lott qualified in multiple events for the ladies, with Meydrich posting top marks in both the 5000m and 10,000m runs. Lott qualified in both the 100m hurdle competition as well as the long jump.
The Bulldogs are also sending three freshmen to Lexington in Monica Mosley (400mH), Alexis Farley (triple jump) and Daniel Nixon (800m). Each is one of just seven freshmen to qualify in their respective events.
2015 NCAA 1500m champion Rhianwedd Price qualified in that event, and will look to defend her title after redshirting in 2016. Her sister Ffion Price will join her in the 1500m preliminary round. Keturah Smith will round out the women’s runners in Lexington, competing in the 400m dash. In the field, high jumper Logan Boss highlights the Bulldogs’ qualifiers. Boss earned indoor All-America status during the indoor campaign after finishing third in the nation. Boss owns both the indoor and outdoor Mississippi State high jump records, and owns an East Region leading 1.89m mark in 2017.
Tiffany Flynn, who also earned All-America honors during the indoor season, qualified in the triple jump. Flynn is the school record holder in that event, and owns the fifth-best mark in the region this season at 13.33m. MSU’s freshman record holder in the triple jump Alexis Farley will also be heading to Lexington for a chance to go to Eugene.
The Bulldog women will be sending two women’s throwers in Haley Reynolds (discus) and Brianna Smith (Hammer).
Seven runners from the men’s team qualified, with Lawrence Crawford ( 100m), All- American Charles Taylor ( 200m), Stephan James ( 400m), Juston Waters ( 400m), Daniel Nixon (800m), Ro’Derick Spears (110mH), and Rasheed Tatham (400mH) all punching their tickets to Lexington.
Two men’s jumpers qualified in Willie Reed (long jump) and Romain Bourreau (triple jump). MSU’s elite javelin team of Nicolas Quijera and 2016 NCAA javelin champion Curtis Thompson also qualified. Quijera will be making his first appearance in NCAA postseason action after winning a national championship in his native country of Spain in 2016. Thompson will look to defend his title after becoming the first Bulldog to win a national javelin title last spring.
The men also qualified in both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.
“We are excited about this group that is moving on to the next stage of the season,” MSU coach Steve Dudley said. “They have been working since January for this opportunity, and we expect big things from all of them. We have a couple of national champions who are looking to defend their titles, and have freshmen that will get their first look at national competition. We are excited for this opportunity, and I look forward to seeing our athletes compete.”