BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Nineteen WKU Track and Field athletes have qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships, which will be held May 29-31 at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., the NCAA announced Thursday.
WKU’s 19 qualifiers are its most since qualifying a school record 22 athletes in the 2010 season. Ten Lady Toppers will represent WKU in 11 different events and nine Hilltoppers will compete in 13 events in hopes of advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The top 12 competitors in each event advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. on June 11-14.
Head coach Erik Jenkins has now successfully tutored 117 regional qualifiers since taking the program reins in 2008. In five of his seven seasons as head coach Jenkins has guided at least 15 athletes to the preliminary championships.
Senior thrower Jessica Ramsey enters as a Top 10 qualifier in the shot put (2nd), discus (9th) and hammer throw (9th) to headline the Lady Toppers’ 10 qualifiers. Ramsey’s season-best shot put mark of 17.49 broke the Sun Belt Conference and WKU record and ranks second among the East qualifying field. Ramsey qualified for the NCAA Championships in the discus last season as a junior.
Senior sprinter Elvyonn Bailey highlighted the Hilltoppers’ nine qualifers as he advances in three events. Bailey’s school record 400-meter dash time of 45.52 ranks sixth in the East region. He also anchors WKU’s fifth seeded 4x400-meter relay and 19th seeded 4x100-meter relay. Rookie Ventavius Sears will represent WKU in four events as he competes in the long jump (19th), triple jump (21st) and both the relays.
Tomas Guerra, a sophomore javelin thrower, is the highest seeded Hilltopper at third with a mark of 73.37m. Freshman Emmanuel Dasor will represent the Hilltoppers in three separate events as he’s seeded 13th in the 100-meter dash at 10.25 seconds and will run legs in both the 4x1 and 4x4.
Freshmen Carrol Hardy and Sandra Akachukwu also qualified for three different events at the preliminary championships. Hardy is seeded eighth in the 100-meter dash at 11.37 seconds, 10th in the 200-meter dash at 23.20 seconds and runs the lead leg for the Lady Toppers’ 18th seeded 4x100-meter relay. Akachukwu qualified 32nd in the 200-meter dash, 30th in the long jump and anchors the 4x100-meter relay.
Senior triple jumpers Ana Camargo and France Makabu are seeded sixth with identical marks of 13.18m, senior sprinter Gelela Cooley qualified for the third-straight year in the 400-meter dash and senior thrower Lexia Robinson qualified in both the shot put and discus.
Rounding out the Lady Topper qualifiers is Katie Lever in the 10,000-meters (31st), Satrina Oliveira in the discus (15th) and Chioma Agwunobi in the long jump (21st). Agwunobi also runs the third leg of WKU’s 18th seeded 4x100-meter relay.
Junior jumper Cyrus Johnson qualified in both the high jump and triple jump for the Hilltoppers while teammate Derrick Hill also advances to the preliminary round in the high jump. Sophomore Ja’Karyus Redwine qualified 44th in the 100-meter dash and makes up a leg of WKU 4x100-meter relay.
Senior David Mokone, a three-time regional qualifier and two-time All-American in the 800-meter run, rounds out the Hilltopper qualifiers at 23rd in the 800.
The NCAA East Preliminary Championships get underway on May 29 at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. For more information on WKU Track and Field, visit WKUSports.com.
WKU NCAA East Preliminary Qualifiers Since 2008
18 in 2008
21 in 2009
22 in 2010
10 in 2011
12 in 2012
15 in 2013
19 in 2014