Missouri
NCAA West Preliminary Championships
Freshmen Trio Earn Trip to NCAA Outdoor Championships
5/25/2019 9:23:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field, Track & Field
Vilches, Nachev and Santos all advance to Austin on final day of NCAA West Preliminary
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Mizzou Track & Field had had a trio of freshmen earn trips to the NCAA Outdoor Championships on the final day of the competition at the NCAA West Preliminary Championships on Saturday. Freshman Roberto Vilches (Mexico City, Mexico), freshman Georgi Nachev (Yambol, Bulgaria) and freshman Mirieli Santos (Mato Grosso, Brazil) each earned their first career trips to the NCAA meet after posting top-12 finishes in the high jump, triple jump and triple jump, respectively.
NOTABLE FINISHES
Vilches has a highly impressive performance in his first NCAA West Preliminary meet, as he has cleared all three heights of the high jump with no misses to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. VIlches cleared 2.06m (6-9), 2.11m (6-11) and finally 2.16m (7-1) to finish first in the event and punch his ticket to Austin. Vilches will enter the NCAA meet with the nation's top mark, as his clearance of 2.27m (7-5.25) matches USC's Earnie Sears for the best collegiate performance this season.
Nachev earned his first trip to the NCAA meet as he finished 10th in the triple jump with a mark of 15.71m (51-6.5). His mark was the second-best jump of his season, trailing only his performance at the SEC Outdoor Championships (May 11), where he finished fourth with a leap of 15.84m (51-11.75).
Santos will be making her first appearance at the NCAA meet after recording a ninth-place finish on Saturday with a jump of 12.93m (42-5.25). Santos entered the meet with the 15th-best jump in the NCAA West Region, as her season-best mark of 13.13m (43-1) set the Mizzou school record in a seventh-place finish at the SEC Outdoor Championships (May 11).
In the 1500m run, freshman Martin Prodanov (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) shaved more than two seconds off his personal best time to join Mizzou's top-10 list. The Tiger freshman finished 17th overall at 3:43.75 to rank sixth all-time in program history.
QUOTABLES
Mizzou Head Coach Brett Halter
"It was a great weekend for the Tigers. We left nothing on the table as we have done all season – holding the line when it needed to be held. Many things went our way, while a few did not, which is all a part of Championship Track & Field. We are proud of our seniors who have left their mark in the program in so many ways, excited for our very large group of underclassmen who garnered extremely valuable experience this weekend and thrilled for the Tigers moving onto the finals in a couple weeks."
UP NEXT
Next up for Mizzou will be the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which will take place June 5-8 in Austin, Texas. Mizzou will have six student-athletes competing at the meet, as Vilches, Nachev and Santos will be joined by redshirt sophomore Sophia Rivera (Brentwood, Mo.) in the javelin, senior Becky Keating (Reading, England) in the hammer throw and redshirt senior Gabi Jacobs (Bloomington, Ill.) in the discus.
Jacobs will be making her third appearance at the NCAA meet, while the rest of Mizzou's entries will be making their NCAA Outdoor Championships debut.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
MIZZOU RESULTS - TRACK EVENTS
200m Dash, Men – 18. Jayson Ashford, 20.99 (W: 0.0)
1500m Run, Men – 17. Martin Prodanov, 3:43.75 PR, #6
MIZZOU RESULTS - FIELD EVENTS
High Jump, Men – 1. Roberto Vilches, 2.16m (7-1) q // 24. Landon Cuskelly, 2.06m (6-9)
Triple Jump, Men – 10. Georgi Nachev, 15.71m (51-6.5) (W: 0.8) q
Triple Jump, Women – 9. Mirieli Santos, 12.93m (42-5.25) (W: 0.4) q // Arianna Fisher, DNS
Shot Put, Men – 23. Will Fife, 18.51m (60-8.75)
Shot Put, Women – 15. Emily Stauffer, 16.12m (52-10.75) // 21. Gabi Jacobs, 15.71m (51-6.5)
Players Mentioned
