University of Texas Rio Grande Valley announces NCAA Outdoor Track & Field West Preliminary Qualifiers Ready to Showcase Program’s Growth
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Five student-athletes from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) track & field program are ready and excited to represent their school and team at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field West Preliminary running Wednesday-Saturday at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium.
"This was the plan all along for this group specifically. They're going to vie for those coveted spots in the finals and it's going to be a great experience for them," track & field/cross country head coach Shareese Hicks said. "Sending multiple student-athletes in all event disciplines says that we're a complete program. More importantly it says that these student-athletes have worked extremely hard. To qualify for this meet is a huge privilege and an honor that they take very seriously and we're excited to showcase all of our hard work."
Action begins for the Vaqueros on Wednesday as freshmen Jedidiah Udunna and Sam Johnson II take on the first round of men's events.
Udunna will compete in Flight 3 of the long jump starting at 8 p.m. (CT) aiming to place in the top 12 to punch his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships being held in Austin June 7-10. Udunna's qualifying mark of 7.80 meters has him in the No. 19 spot heading into the competition. Student-athletes only get three attempts to notch one of the top marks.
Johnson will run in Heat 3 of the first round of the 400-meter dash starting at 9:25 p.m. (CT). The top three finishers in each of the six heats plus the next six fastest times will advance to the quarterfinals running Friday at 8:50 p.m. (CT). The top 12 finishers in the quarterfinals will earn a trip to the national meet. Johnson is the 44th seed with a time of 46.25.
Graduate student Marlene Gutierrez, freshman Rayja'nae Pettit and junior Aisha Gay will compete in the first batch of women's events Thursday.
Gutierrez will get UTRGV's day started at 12 p.m. (CT) in Flight 2 of the hammer throw. The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) women's hammer champion is the 23rd seed in the West Preliminary with a mark of 62.03 meters. She's the only Vaquero with a previous trip to the preliminary round under her belt after finishing 22ndlast year while competing for UC Davis. She'll get three attempts to earn a top-12 throw to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Pettit begins her quest to reach nationals in Flight 1 of the long jump at 8 p.m. (CT). She's tied with the 38thbest mark heading into the competition after jumping 6.16 meters at the WAC Outdoor Championship. She'll have three attempts to notch one of the 12 best jumps to qualify for nationals.
Gay will run in Heat 2 of the first round of the 400-meter dash at 9:25 p.m. (CT). She's seeded 39th with a time of 53.30. The top three finishers in each of the six heats plus the next six fastest times will move on to the quarterfinals race Saturday at 8:50 p.m. (CT). The 12 fastest runners in the quarterfinals advance to nationals.
The meet will be broadcast live on ESPN+ starting at 8 p.m. (CT) Wednesday and Thursday and at 7 p.m. (CT) Friday and Saturday.
"I'm proud of the team overall. I'm excited to see our performances and us continuing to band together. It's going to be a wonderful experience," Hicks said. "One thing this team has taught me is to not limit anyone, so I would not be surprised to have a couple of people walk away with those All-American titles."
UTRGV Schedule
Wednesday
Men's long jump, 8 p.m.
Jedidiah Udunna
Men's 400-meter dash first round, 9:25 p.m.
Sam Johnson II
Thursday
Women's hammer throw, 12 p.m.
Marlene Gutierrez
Women's long jump, 8 p.m.
Rayja'nae Pettit
Women's 400-meter dash first round, 9:25 p.m.
Aisha Gay
Friday
Men's 400-meter dash quarterfinals, 8:50 p.m.
TBD – top 24 advance
Saturday
Women's 400-meter dash quarterfinals, 8:50 p.m.
TBD – top 24 advance
Original source can be found here.