FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (May 19, 2022) – On Thursday, the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field and Cross Country Committee announced the qualifiers for the 2022 Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field West Regional Championship preliminary rounds. Northern Arizona will send a program record of 33 athletes to Fayetteville, Ark. to begin competing at John McDonnell Field on May 25.
Individual athletes who rank among the top-48 in their respective event and the top-24 relay times qualify for a slot at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds.
The Lumberjacks are placing their growth and depth on full display, as a fairly even split of 17 men and 16 women are headed to the regional meet.
Representing NAU on the women's side will be Alyssa Colbert, Jade Kwinn, LiNay Perry, Kyairra Reigh, Nikita Moore, Elise Stearns, Annika Reiss, Melanie Loff, Bryn Morley, Maggi Congdon, Jesselyn Bries, Meagan Van Pelt, Miracle Onyemaobi, Jessa Hanson, Jenna McCaffrey, and Delaney Rasmussen.
Colbert, one of five true freshman slated to compete at the regional meet, keeps her fiery season alive, declaring entries in both the 100-meter and 200-meter, while fellow freshmen Kwinn, Perry, Reigh, and Moore respectively plan to compete in the women's javelin, 4x400-meter relay, and 3000-meter steeplechase. Melanie Loff and Miracle Onyemaobi will serve as the other half of the women's 4x400-meter relay; Loff and Onyemaobi also have individual respective qualifications in the 800-meter and the 400-meter races.
A total of 11 women's distance athletes will travel to Arkansas, including McCaffrey who will run in the women's steeplechase and Congdon who will run alongside Loff in the women's 800; meanwhile, Morely will race in the 1500-meter, Stearns, Reiss, Van Pelt, Bries, and Rasmussen will run the 5000-meter, and Hanson has declared for the 10000-meter.
Representing the Lumberjack men will be David Dunlap, Trenton Givens, Abdihamid Nur, George Kusche, Nico Young, Theo Quax, Brodey Hasty, Drew Bosley, Mitchell Effing, Sirr Butler, Jack Normand, Jake Arnold, Jacob Kaufman, Jack Murphy, Trevor Hook, Caleb Easton, and Jack Shea.
Similarly to Colbert, Dunlap has entries in the men's 100-meter and 200-meter, as Givens will compete in the men's 110-meter hurdles.
Meanwhile, Kusche, Quax, and Easton will run the 1500-meter, Hasty, Young, Bosley, and Shea have declared for the 5K, and Nur will run the 10K.
The NAU men will also be sending four throwers, and three jumpers to compete in Fayetteville; Arnold will throw the shot put, Kaufman and Murphy will throw the hammer, and Hook will throw the javelin, while Butler, Normand and Effing compete in the men's triple jump. Effing is entered in the men's long jump as well.
Athletes with the top 12 times/marks and the best 12 relay teams at both the East and West Preliminary Rounds sites will qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
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