LAWRENCE, Kan. – Weather delays and a redrawn meet schedule may have ruled the headlines during day one of NCAA Preliminary Round competition on Thursday, but day two was all about the qualifications as six Tigers claimed their spots at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Events at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas, will resume on Saturday as 19 more members of the Tigers' preliminary round qualifying group will look to advance on to the NCAA finals next month.
It was an early start for the Tigers on Friday, with the women's 10k kicking things off on the track at 8 a.m. CT. Junior Kaitlyn Fischer put up a good fight, holding within the top 15 of the field for the majority of the race. A big move by the pack with six laps to go put her back into 15th, a position she would hold across the finish line.
The 100m dashes were up next on the track, starting with junior LaQuisha Jackson who took 20th in the women's field (11.63).
In the men's race, Markesh Woodson earned the Tigers' first qualification into Eugene, taking third in the field with a crossing of 10.22. This is the third NCAA Championship meet for the senior, and he will enter the meet with two All-American honors already to his name after taking tenth in the championship field in 2013 and 13th in 2015.
The men's and women's 400m dashes continued the streak of qualifications, with junior Sandrae Farquharson notching her first NCAA Championships qualification with a 53.80 finish, good for tenth in the field.
Freshman Kahmari Montgomery was up next, breezing to a heat win to get his automatic qualification in 45.95. This will be Montgomery's second NCAA experience this year, after he qualified for the 400m dash during the indoor season. He will enter the meet with the SEC title in the event and one of the fastest times in the world this season (45.13).
In the women's 400m hurdles, junior Valerie Thames just missed out of NCAA qualification in her first event of the weekend. The school record holder placed 18th in the field with a 58.73 crossing. She will be back on Saturday for the 100m hurdles.
The field event competitions also saw a series of qualifiers into the national championship meet starting with Matthew Ludwig. The freshman secured an extension to his stellar season, cruising through the pole vault competition to finish first in the field with a top bar of 5.38m (17-7.75). Ludwig entered the competition with the school record (5.46m // 17-11) from the Memphis Invitational last month and an All-SEC finish two weeks ago.
Junior Reinhard Van Zyl was next up in the field events, warming up for the third flight of the men's javelin only to have to wait for three hours due to inclement weather. He was able to respond after his first two throws put him in 22nd in the field, hitting 68.27m (223-11) to take the final spot into Eugene.
Junior Alex Pascal was entered into the NCAA Preliminary javelin competition, but unable to compete due to a family emergency.
Finally, junior Alyssa Applebee earned her first NCAA Championship qualification after a second-place finish in the pole vault competition. Her final bar of 4.22m (13-10) tied her lifetime best, and is a new No. 2 mark in school history.
HEAR FROM COACH HALTER…
"It was a successful day. It was more of a survival contest than a track meet, and it's taking its toll on everybody," Halter said of the stormy conditions throughout the day on Thursday and Friday. "I think our athletes are hanging in there tough, doing what we've been doing all year, and when we do get on the track they bring that competitive spirit. It really carries everyone through.
It was great to see a couple of the big guys come in and just take care of business with Markesh Woodson and Kahmaro Montgomery. It was really exciting for Sandrae Farquharson to overcome so many obstacles in her career path to be able to advance. Matthew Ludwig did an amazing job. He was clean, hit all his bars on the first attempt, he was just at his best today and it was fantastic. Same thing with Alyssa Applebee, this was a big career breakthrough for her. Reinhard Van Zyl struggled throughout the competition, but really showed what kind of competitor he is by coming through with his last throw to qualify."
Events will resume at Rock Chalk Park at 9 a.m. CT with senior Tony Carodine and sophomore John Warren in the men's triple jump. The women's 4x100m relay will be first up on the track at 10 a.m. CT. For the latest on your Tigers, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MIZ_TrackField.
#MIZTF RESULTS – FRIDAY
100m Dash, Women – 20. LaQuisha Jackson, 11.63
100m Dash, Men – 3. Markesh Woodson, 10.22 Q
400m Dash, Women – 10. Sandrae Farquharson, 53.80 q // 39. Maya Cody, 55.85
400m Dash, Men – 3. Kahmari Montgomery, 45.95 Q
800m Run, Women – 38. Valeska Halamicek, 2:11.94
10k Run, Women – 15. Kaitlyn Fischer, 34:54.83
10k Run, Men – 37. Ollie Lockley, 30:52.69
400m Hurdles, Women – 18. Valerie Thames, 58.73
3000m Steeplechase, Women – 39. Teylar Adelsberger, 10:57.69
3000m Steeplechase, Men – 38. Sam Dickerson, 9:21.07
Long Jump, Women – Lynnsey Brim, 5.49m (18-0.25)
Long Jump, Men – 26. John Warren, 7.28m (23-10.75)
Pole Vault, Women – 3. Alyssa Applebee, 4.22m (13-10) Q PR #2 // 20. Rayce Albino, 3.82m (12-6.25)
Pole Vault, Men – 1. Matthew Ludwig, 5.38m (17-7.75) Q
Discus, Women – Gabi Jacobs, F
Javelin, Men – 12. Reinhard Van Zyl, 68.27m (223-11) Q
| #MIZTF LINE-UP - SATURDAY | ||
| 9:00 a.m. | Triple Jump, Men | Tony Carodine // John Warren |
| 10:00 a.m. | 4x100m, Women | |
| 10:15 a.m. | 4x100m, Men | |
| 11:00 a.m. | 1500m Run, Men | Will Crocker |
| 11:30 a.m. | 100m Hurdles, Women | Alyssa Felton // Valerie Thames |
| 12:30 p.m. | Triple Jump, Women | Danielle Williams |
| 12:30 p.m. | 200m Dash, Women | LaQuisha Jackson |
| 12:55 p.m. | 200m Dash, Men | Kahmari Montgomery // Markesh Woodson |
| 1:20 p.m. | 5000m Run, Women | Karissa Schweizer |
| 2:30 p.m. | 4x400m, Women | |