JONESBORO, Ark. (5/24/22) – Sixteen members of the Arkansas State track and field teams are set to compete for coveted national-championship bids, beginning Wednesday at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds held in Fayetteville, Ark.
The four-day event at the John McDonnell Track pits A-State’s athletes against the top athletes in the West Region, with the top 12 in each event advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Men will compete on Wednesday and Friday, while the women will compete on Thursday and Saturday. Each day will be streamed live on SEC Network+ at the start of the track events (6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday).
On Wednesday, Sun Belt Conference champion Aimar Palma Simo will begin the week at 10 a.m., competing in the hammer throw. The sophomore ranks 10th in the West with a best mark of 67.75m (222-3.0).
Carter Shell and Courtney Thomas will then jump in the men’s long jump at 6 p.m. Each jumper in the four-flight field will get three jumps in a bid to advance to Eugene. The Sun Belt champion Shell enters the week second in the West with a best mark of 8.06m (26-5.5) while Thomas is tied for 13th with a jump of 7.71m (25-3.5).
The men’s pole vault, set for a 6:30 p.m. start, features A-State’s Bradley Jelmert and Trace South. Jelmert, this season’s conference runner-up, is eighth in the West with a qualifying mark of 5.42m (17-9.25).
Also at 6 p.m., Will Glass and Ke’Von Holder will take to the straightaway in the 110-meter hurdles first round at 6 p.m., with the top three in each heat and next six fastest times advancing to Friday’s quarterfinals. Reigning Sun Belt 800-meter champion Seth Waters is set to close the first day in the first round of the men’s 800 at 7:50 p.m., with the top three in each heat plus next six times advancing to the quarterfinals.
Thursday begins at 10 a.m. with SBC bronze medalist Grace Flowers in the women’s hammer throw before Sun Belt javelin champion Camryn Newton-Smith throws her implement at 2 p.m. Two-time SBC runner-up Evangelynn Harris will compete in the women’s shot put later in the day, set for a 7 p.m. start time.
On the track, a pair of Sun Belt bronze medalists are set to compete in sprints and hurdles, as Jonae Cook will run in the first round of both the women’s 100 meters (7 p.m.) and 200 meters (8:45 p.m.) while Chelby Melvin is set to compete in the first round of the women’s 400-meter hurdles at 8:20 p.m. Sophie Leathers closes out the day with the women’s 10,000 meters at 9:10 p.m. Leathers took silver in the event at the conference meet before winning the 5000 meters.
Sun Belt silver medalist Frank Massey jumps in the men’s high jump at 2:30 p.m. Friday, entering tied for seventh in the West with a clearance of 2.18m (7-1.75). Two-time SBC champion and 2021 outdoor All-American Bennett Pascoe will then look to punch his second consecutive ticket to Eugene in the steeplechase at 5:40 p.m. The quarterfinal rounds of the 110-meter hurdles (6:15 p.m.) and 800 meters (7:05 p.m.) will also be run later Friday evening.
Harris competes in her second event of the week to begin Saturday, throwing the discus at 1 p.m. Newton-Smith will jump in the women’s high jump at 2:30 p.m., followed by the quarterfinals of the 100 meters (6:35 p.m.), 400-meter hurdles (7:25 p.m.) and 200 meters (7:50 p.m.).
A-STATE’S SCHEDULE AT THE 2022 NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY ROUNDS
Wednesday, May 25
10 a.m. Men’s Hammer Throw (Aimar Palma Simo)
6 p.m. Men’s 110-meter Hurdles First Round (Will Glass, Ke’Von Holder)
Men’s Long Jump (Carter Shell, Courtney Thomas)
6:30 p.m. Men’s Pole Vault (Bradley Jelmert, Trace South)
7:50 p.m. Men’s 800 Meters First Round (Seth Waters)
Thursday, May 26
10 a.m. Women’s Hammer Throw (Grace Flowers)
2 p.m. Women’s Javelin Throw (Camryn Newton-Smith)
7 p.m. Women’s 100 Meters First Round (Jonae Cook)
Women’s Shot Put (Evangelynn Harris)
8:20 p.m. Women’s 400-meter Hurdles First Round (Chelby Melvin)
8:45 p.m. Women’s 200 Meters First Round (Jonae Cook)
9:10 p.m. Women’s 10,000 Meters First Round (Sophie Leathers)
Friday, May 27
2:30 p.m. Men’s High Jump (Frank Massey)
5:40 p.m. Men’s 3000-meter Steeplechase Quarterfinals (Bennett Pascoe)
6:15 p.m. Men’s 110-meter Hurdles Quarterfinals
7:05 p.m. Men’s 800 Meters Quarterfinals
Saturday, May 28
1 p.m. Women’s Discus Throw (Evangelynn Harris)
2:30 p.m. Women’s High Jump (Camryn Newton-Smith)
6:35 p.m. Women’s 100 Meters Quarterfinals
7:25 p.m. Women’s 400-meter Hurdles Quarterfinals
7:50 p.m. Women’s 200 Meters Quarterfinals
SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the A-State track and field program, follow @AStateTrack on Twitter and @Arkansas_State_Track on Instagram, while also liking the team’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateTrackAndField.
Original article source: https://astateredwolves.com/news/2022/5/24/track-field-sixteen-red-wolves-set-for-ncaa-west-prelims.aspx | Article may or may not reflect the views of KLEK 102.5 FM or The Voice of Arkansas Minority Advocacy Council
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