The NCAA East Prelims will be held in Tampa, Fla., on May 24-26.
Nineteen Bulldogs Accepted to NCAA East Prelims
May 17, 2018 | Track & Field
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Nineteen Mississippi State track and field athletes will see their season continue in Tampa, Fla. next weekend at the NCAA East Prelims. The Bulldogs also qualified both the men's and women's 4x400m relays along with the men's 4x100m relay.
The NCAA is divided into east and west qualifying regions with the Top 48 individuals and the Top 24 relays in each being accepted into their respective preliminary meet.
"This has been our focus all year," head coach Steve Dudley said. "The season is all about qualifying for this meet. Now, the times go out the window, and it's simply about beating the person next to you on the track."
The Top 12 athletes and relays in each event will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 6-9.
MSU put 14 men into the first round of competition. Most notably, all four of the Bulldogs' 400m hurdlers qualified, with three of those among the Top 15 in the East. Ro'Derick Spears pushed himself to No. 10 in the region in the 110m hurdles with a school-record 13.65 at last week's SEC Championships. He will be joined by senior Willie-Lionel Reed in that event.
The Bulldogs' history-making javelin program will send NCAA-leader Anderson Peters and SEC Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year Nicolas Quijera, to the competition. The two have not finished lower than third at any meet this season, and at least one of them has won every competition MSU has participated in this year. High jumper Reggie Miller rounds out the field athletes for the men.
In the sprints, Juston Waters and Karson Kowalchuk have qualified for the 200m. Kowalchuk will also run the 100m. In the 800m, SEC silver medalist and MSU freshman record holder Marco Arop will join Dejon Devroe, who finished sixth at indoor nationals. Stephen Jones will run the 5000m.
On the women's side, Rhianwedd Price-Weimer led the NCAA in the 1500m through the final week of the season before being pushed down to second. The 2015 national champion in the event is back in the hunt after claiming the SEC crown last weekend.
Price-Weimer had the time to qualify for the 800m but will focus on one event. Alon Lewis will represent MSU in 800m. Stephanie Peterson's work in the 10,000m at the Penn Relays was enough to earn her a bid to the prelims.
The Bulldog women will do most of their work in the field events. Alexis Farley qualified in both the long and triple jumps. She is second in school history and holds the freshman record in the triple jump. Brianna Smith, who is second in school history, will compete in the hammer throw.
For more information on the MSU track and field team, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching @HailStateTF. You can also find all access coverage on SnapChat by searching 'HailStateSnap'.
The NCAA is divided into east and west qualifying regions with the Top 48 individuals and the Top 24 relays in each being accepted into their respective preliminary meet.
"This has been our focus all year," head coach Steve Dudley said. "The season is all about qualifying for this meet. Now, the times go out the window, and it's simply about beating the person next to you on the track."
The Top 12 athletes and relays in each event will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 6-9.
MSU put 14 men into the first round of competition. Most notably, all four of the Bulldogs' 400m hurdlers qualified, with three of those among the Top 15 in the East. Ro'Derick Spears pushed himself to No. 10 in the region in the 110m hurdles with a school-record 13.65 at last week's SEC Championships. He will be joined by senior Willie-Lionel Reed in that event.
The Bulldogs' history-making javelin program will send NCAA-leader Anderson Peters and SEC Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year Nicolas Quijera, to the competition. The two have not finished lower than third at any meet this season, and at least one of them has won every competition MSU has participated in this year. High jumper Reggie Miller rounds out the field athletes for the men.
In the sprints, Juston Waters and Karson Kowalchuk have qualified for the 200m. Kowalchuk will also run the 100m. In the 800m, SEC silver medalist and MSU freshman record holder Marco Arop will join Dejon Devroe, who finished sixth at indoor nationals. Stephen Jones will run the 5000m.
On the women's side, Rhianwedd Price-Weimer led the NCAA in the 1500m through the final week of the season before being pushed down to second. The 2015 national champion in the event is back in the hunt after claiming the SEC crown last weekend.
Price-Weimer had the time to qualify for the 800m but will focus on one event. Alon Lewis will represent MSU in 800m. Stephanie Peterson's work in the 10,000m at the Penn Relays was enough to earn her a bid to the prelims.
The Bulldog women will do most of their work in the field events. Alexis Farley qualified in both the long and triple jumps. She is second in school history and holds the freshman record in the triple jump. Brianna Smith, who is second in school history, will compete in the hammer throw.
For more information on the MSU track and field team, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching @HailStateTF. You can also find all access coverage on SnapChat by searching 'HailStateSnap'.
Players Mentioned
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