May 25, 2010
SAN DIEGO -
2010 Season Bests | NCAA Austin Schedule | Qualifying Standards | NCAA Austin Field
Eleven San Diego State student-athletes have qualified for the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and will head to Austin, Texas, for the West preliminary round at Mike A. Myers Stadium from May 27-29, 2010.
The NCAA implemented a new process for this year's championships as qualifying standards are no longer used for entry into a regional meet. Instead of a four-region system, all Division I schools have been categorized into either the West (Austin, Texas) or East (Greensboro, N.C.) region.
In order to qualify for this meet, which is technically the first round of the championships, an athlete must rank among the top 48 per region in the individual event in which they declare, while the top 24 relays per region that declare will also compete at the preliminary site.
The top 12 individuals and relay teams in each event from the West and East region will earn a trip to Eugene, Ore., and historic Hayward Field to compete in the NCAA championship rounds from June 9-12 for a shot at a national title.
Three of the 11 Aztec West regional qualifiers are pole vaulters, led by Stephanie James, who is currently ranked third in the region with a vault of 14 feet, 3 ¼ inches. James will be joined in Austin by Katie Morgan (16th, 13-07.25) and Kelsy Hintz (23rd, 13-03.50).
The only other event that has multiple SDSU student-athletes is the triple jump, where Alex Evans is ranked 34th in the West region (41-00.25) and Kai Wheeler is 39th (40-07.00). Jeannette McConnell, meanwhile, qualified in the discus (30th, 162-08) and Shana Watson made it in the long jump (34th, 19-11.75).
Nicole Stone leads the way for San Diego State on the track with the eighth-best time in the West region in the 400-meter dash, clocking a time of 52.89 seconds on March 28 at the Cal/Nevada Championships.
Josefine Koskinen qualified in the 800 (33rd, 2:08.47), while Kiersten Kirkland (39th, 1:00.62) and Briana Hurdles (47th, 13.87) made it in the 400 and 100-meter hurdles, respectively.
2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
West Region - Austin, Texas
May 27-29, 2010
(Top 12 advance to championship rounds in Eugene, Ore., from June 9-12)
400 Meters
8. Nicole Stone, 52.89
(First Round - 7 p.m. CT Thursday: Six heats - Top 3 per heat advance to quarterfinals, plus next 6 fastest times)
(Quarterfinals - 5:45 p.m. CT Friday: Three heats - Top 3 per heat advance to semifinals in Eugene, plus next 3 fastest times)
800 Meters
33. Josefine Koskinen, 2:08.47
(First Round - 8 p.m. CT Thursday: Six heats - Top 3 per heat advance to quarterfinals, plus next 6 fastest times)
(Quarterfinals - 6:45 p.m. CT Friday: Three heats - Top 3 per heat advance to semifinals in Eugene, plus next 3 fastest times)
100-Meter Hurdles
47. Briana Johnson, 13.87
(First Round - 5 p.m. CT Friday: Six heats - Top 3 per heat advance to quarterfinals, plus next 6 fastest times)
(Quarterfinals - 7:05 p.m. CT Saturday: Three heats - Top 3 per heat advance to semifinals in Eugene, plus next 3 fastest times)
400-Meter Hurdles
39. Kiersten Kirkland, 1:00.62
(First Round - 4 p.m. CT Thursday: Six heats - Top 3 per heat advance to quarterfinals, plus next 6 fastest times)
(Quarterfinals - 7:15 p.m. CT Friday: Three heats - Top 3 per heat advance to semifinals in Eugene, plus next 3 fastest times)
Pole Vault
3. Stephanie James, 14-03.25
16. Katie Morgan, 13-07.25
23. Kelsy Hintz, 13-03.50
(Qualifying - 1 p.m. CT Thursday: Top 12 finishers overall advance to finals in Eugene (with jump-off in necessary)
Long Jump
34. Shana Watson, 19-11.75
(Qualifying - 7 p.m. CT Friday: Top 16 overall advance to three-attempt final; Top 12 finishers overall advance to finals in Eugene)
Triple Jump
34. Alex Evans, 41-00.25
39. Kai Wheelers, 40-07.00
(Qualifying - 2 p.m. CT Saturday: Top 16 overall advance to three-attempt final; Top 12 finishers overall advance to finals in Eugene)
Discus
30. Jeanette McConnell, 162-08
(Qualifying - Noon CT Friday: Top 16 overall advance to three-attempt final; Top 12 finishers overall advance to finals in Eugene)