LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Twenty University of Louisville track and field student-athletes make up 22 entries for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Rounds, the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Committee announced Thursday.
The event runs from May 29-31 at North Florida’s Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Tickets for the meet are currently on sale, and all seating is general admission. Tickets can be purchased by calling the North Florida ticket office at (904) 620-2473 or visiting the school’s athletics website.
Both the men’s and women’s teams are sending 10 student-athletes apiece.
On the men’s side, Calvin Arsenault is scheduled to double in the 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles. He ranks in the top 30 in the region in both events, including the 25th-fastest mark in the 400m hurdles with a school-record time of 51.63. The junior won the conference title in the event in Tampa on May 4.
Similar to Arsenault, freshman Emmonnie Henderson achieved marks on the women’s side to qualify in the shot put and discus events. She has the 26th-best throw in the shot put and the 31st-best mark in the discus. The dual-sport athlete, who won the discus title in her collegiate debut, finished second in the event at the conference championships.
Four men’s distance runners will be participating in the event.
Mattias Wolter has the second-fastest time in the 3,000m steeplechase, an event in which he earned first team All-America honors last season, and Edwin Kibichiy, who won the league title in the discipline, ranks 24th. Conference champion Ernest Kibet and Tyler Byrne will run in the 10,000m, where they both have top-30 times.
Sam Bombaugh headlines the throws group, as he enters the competition with the 20th-best mark in the hammer throw. Bombaugh earned his first career All-America honor last year in the discipline. Brad Vivace and Nils Westrich also are slated to take part in the competition.
Steve Wade and Codie Hamsley will be participating in the discus.
In addition to Henderson, six other female throwers earned spots at the preliminary rounds.
Liberty Slinden has the team’s top rank in the shot put, boasting a career-best throw of 16.00m/52-6. She earned runner-up honors at the AAC Championships in the shot put.
Louisville has a trio competing in the women’s hammer throw, consisting of Patrice Gates, Caitlin Gilmore, and Hannah Baker. The group combined for 11 points in the event at the league championships, led by Gates’ second-place finish.
Dolly Nyemah is scheduled to throw the discus, and Jenna Wargo notched a top-40 mark in the javelin to punch her ticket to the meet.
The Cardinals have two competing in the jumping events. Brittany Owens, who has the 13th-best mark in the long jump, is making her first career appearance at the preliminary rounds along with freshman Chanel Krause. A Mobile, Ala., native, Krause ranks 15th nationally in the pole vault with a school-record leap of 4.15m/13-7.25.
Louisville’s lone female participant on the track Benadate Cheruiyot is scheduled to race in the 3,000m steeplechase. The sophomore broke and then re-broke the school record in the event with a time of 10:19.64 en route to winning the AAC title.
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CARDINALS DECLARED FOR 2014 NCAA EAST PRELIMINARY ROUNDS
Men (10 Student-Athletes, 11 Entries)
Calvin Arsenault – 110m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles
Tyler Byrne – 10,000m
Ernest Kibet – 10,000m
Edwin Kibichiy – 3,000m Steeplechase
Mattias Wolter – 3,000m Steeplechase
Sam Bombaugh – Hammer Throw
Codie Hamsley – Discus
Brad Vivace – Hammer Throw
Steve Wade – Discus
Nils Westrich – Hammer Throw
Women (10 Student-Athletes, 11 Entries)
Benadate Cheruiyot – 3,000m Steeplechase
Hannah Baker – Hammer Throw
Patrice Gates – Hammer Throw
Caitlin Gilmore – Hammer Throw
Emmonnie Henderson – Shot Put, Discus
Chanel Krause – Pole Vault
Dolly Nyemah – Discus
Brittany Owens – Long Jump
Liberty Slinden – Shot Put
Jenna Wargo – Javelin