NCAA Prelims Day One Recap: First Tickets to Eugene Punched

COMPLETE RESULTS Put the West Prelims In CaliforniaAs long as the NCAA Championships are in Eugene (i.e., until the heat death of the universe), the coache

May 27, 2016 by Dennis Young

NCAA Prelims Day One Recap: First Tickets to Eugene Punched

COMPLETE RESULTS

Put the West Prelims In California

As long as the NCAA Championships are in Eugene (i.e., until the heat death of the universe), the coaches in the West Region will justifiably demand that the West Prelims be anywhere but the West Coast. And as long as there’s a meet in Texas/Arkansas/Kansas/etc. on Memorial Day weekend, there will be the potential for horrible weather. For what feels like the millionth year in a row—though the current setup has only been around since 2010—the West Prelims were plagued by delays and cancellations. Thunderstorms and the threat of tornadoes wiped out the entire first day of action this year, which jammed all of today’s schedule into tomorrow morning.

Current weather conditions at the NCAA West Preliminary. @CUBuffsTrack #ncaaTF #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/fJqpyjRj0R
— Casey Malone (@MaloneCUThrows) May 26, 2016

Here's a look at Day 1 at the West Preliminary #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/ju3nG8A1Ui
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) May 27, 2016

Next year’s West Prelims are in Austin, Texas. (Here’s some very serious science for you: I am typing this in Austin, which just received flash flood warnings.) The first-ever dry West Prelims may come in 2018 when the meet moves to Sacramento.

UPDATE: The next two days of West Prelims are going to be one of the most cutthroat track meets of all time. Laned races (sprints, hurdles, and the 800m) will be six heats of eight, with winners and the six next times advancing to Eugene. The 1500m will be four heats of twelve, with the top two from each heat plus four time qualifiers advancing. Field events plus the 5K, 10K, and steeple will be unchanged.

#NCAAWest Update | All running events will be ran as a quarterfinal. Heat winner + 6 fastest advance: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and hurdles
— Razorback XC/TF (@RazorbackTF) May 27, 2016

#NCAAWest Update continued | Advancement: The 1,500, the top 2 plus the next four fastest times advance
— Razorback XC/TF (@RazorbackTF) May 27, 2016

Hunter and Creese: Biggest Casualties of Brutal 1500m

The brutally deep East men’s 1500m claimed its first two casualties while narrowing the field from 48 to 24. Rorey Hunter of Indiana failed to advance after making it to Eugene the last two years, and Penn State’s Robby Creese, who made it out in 2013 and 2015, was also bounced in the first round. The rest of the favorites advanced to Saturday evening’s quarterfinals, where the top five in each two heats, plus the next two fastest times, will advance to Oregon.

The rest of the big middle-distance names otherwise advanced, including Clayton Murphy in the 1500m and Brandon McBride in the 800m, who nabbed auto-qualifiers.

Field Competitors Punch Tickets to Eugene

The feel-good story of the day came from Clemson’s Mimi Land. She’s a senior long jumper who had only made it to outdoor finals once—as a freshman—and was ranked No. 42 in the East and No. 75 nationally. She finished 11th in Jacksonville, Florida, on Thursday, and will jump at Hayward Field in two weeks.

Four big names saw their seasons cut unexpectedly short. Kentucky’s Sha’keela Saunders (East No. 2, No. 3 in Division I) was 22nd in the women’s long jump. The East's No. 1 and Division I's No. 4 hammer thrower Shelby Ashe of Georgia fouled out. Charleston Southern men’s long jumper Braxton Drummond (ranked second in the East and Division I) took 23rd in the men’s long jump. And East leader/Division I's No. 4 women’s javelin thrower, Irena Sediva of Virginia Tech, was a late scratch with an injury.

10Ks Go Mostly As Expected

The biggest news from the men's or women's 10,000m races was the late scratch of Harvard's Courtney Smith, who was ranked No. 1 in the East and No. 2 in the NCAA. We may see her again later this summer, as she has the Olympic standard.

The actual races on the track were almost entirely chalk. Meg went 10 for 12 in her women's predictions; the only two women who defied the prognostication were Cornell's Caroline Kellner and Central Florida's Anne-Marie Blarney. Gordon was 10 for 12 on the men's side; the two dudes who outran their predicted finishes were Syracuse's Philo Germano and North Carolina State's George Parsons. All four of those athletes were initially ranked in the top 10 in the region.