'Jacks Take on Nation's Best in Arkansas
5/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
May 28, 2014
Meet Schedule | Heat Sheets: Men | Women
Live Results
Webcast: Thursday | Friday | Saturday
USTFCCCA Coverage: Championship Central
Follow the meet on Twitter: SFA | NCAA | USTFCCCA | FloTrack | Runner Space
FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas – Stephen F. Austin track and field’s top student-athletes are in Arkansas this week looking to prove they are among the top athletes in the nation as the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds are set to begin on Thursday and run through Saturday.
The top 48 athletes in individual events along with the top 24 relay teams in the West and East Regions will fight it out this weekend for spots in the field at the NCAA Championships. Twelve individuals and relay teams will advance through the NCAA West and East Preliminary Rounds this weekend. The East region meet is in Jacksonville, Florida.
SFA has 11 entries in individual events and both the men’s and women’s 4x400 meter relay teams are in Fayetteville.
The men’ pole vault group is among the top in the region as three Lumberjacks are entered, including the No. 1 vaulter in the NCAA this year, Colton Ross. Cameron Meyer and Daven Murphree join Ross in the field to put SFA among the top pole vault programs in the region. Only one other school has more than three men’s pole vaulters entered.
Last season, SFA saw its men’s 4x400 relay advance through the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds and are looking for another repeat performance. The squad consists of all seniors that have worked together their entire careers as SFA’s A squad in the event, a rarity in track and field.
Hampton Hawkins, Torin Crowder, Josh Taylor, Cass Brown-Stewart and reserve Shawn Goff are eyeing a spot at the NCAA Championship meet and enter this weekend ranked No. 9 in the West and No. 17 in the NCAA.
The women’s 4x4 team is a mix of classes that has gelled well this season in breaking the school record earlier this year at the Alabama Relays. Jessica Hatchett, Cierra Jefferson, Amber Redic and Brarysheyia Simpson along with reserve Chasity Clark are the No. 19 relay team in the region and hope to overcome some of the top teams in the nation to advance.
Three of the runners on the men’s relay are also entered individually. Brown-Stewart and Hawkins will run the open 400 meters, and Taylor will run the 400 meter hurdles. Brown-Stewart looks to move on to the NCAA Championship again while Hawkins and Taylor seek their first individual spot at the championship meet.
Stephanie White leads the Ladyjacks with two entries. The hurdler is entered in both the 100 and 400 meter hurdles. After finishing seventh and third at the Southland Conference Championship, respectively, White hopes to keep her season alive.
Madison Johnston is SFA’s fourth entry on the women’s side. The school record holder in the javelin also advanced through this meet a year ago and hopes to again after breaking her own school record multiple times this season.
Jamal Peden and Trey Darty will take on the field in the men’s long jump. Peden enters ranked 11th in the region and 16th in the NCAA. Peden has won five of the six meets he has jumped in this season with his only loss being a third-place finish at the prestigious Texas Relays.
Action starts at noon Thursday with the women’s javelin opening the meet. Action will run for three days. The top 12 individuals and relay teams will advance through the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds to the NCAA Championship in Eugene, Oregon in two weeks. Individual running events will have a preliminary round and a quarterfinal round this week to narrow the field from 48 to 24 and then the 12 qualifiers for the championship meet. Field events will take the top 12 finishers to Eugene.
Fans can follow the action online with live results provided at flashresults.com. A live webcast also will be available at arkansasrazorbacks.com each day. Links will be posted on sfajacks.com as well.
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