SAN DIEGO – The Aztec track and field team had 14 athletes qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary Championships, the NCAA announced Thursday morning, the most SDSU has qualified since 2008.
This is the sixth consecutive season the Aztecs have had at least 10 student-athletes qualify for regionals. In total, SDSU will have 13 athletes competing in individual events (eight track, five field) and saw their 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams qualify.
Danae Dyer, Jalyn Harris and Jada Moore will all be competing in three events (two individual and one relay). Dyer, who recently won the gold medal in the 100m hurdles at the MW Outdoor Championships, will have the 10th best time (12.99w) in the field. She will also be competing in the 200 (23.53) and the 4x100m relay.
This is Harris' third straight West prelims where she is competing in the 4x400m relay. She will also be competing in the 400m (53.70) for the second time and making her first appearance in the 200m (23.58).
Moore, who won three gold medals at last weekend's MW Outdoor Championships, has a top 15 time in the region in the 100 (11.36w) and the 200 (23.11) and will also be running on the 4x100m relay team. She set the Aztec outdoor record for freshmen in the 100 and 200 meter dashes last weekend.
Maya Brosch, Jordyn Bryant, Rhea Hoyte, Nyjari McNeil and Aisha Watt will all be competing in two events. Brosch, the MW champ in the 400m hurdles, has the 22nd best time of the field and will also be running in the 4x400m relay.
Bryant will be competing in the discus (52.56m) and shot put (15.63m), events where she has recorded top ten marks in school history this season.
Hoyte, a freshman from Barbados, qualified in the 400m hurdles (59.02) after placing second at the MW championships and will also be running on the 4x400m relay team.
McNeil won the 800m run at the MW Championships last weekend while setting a SDSU record for sophomores (2:05.34). She has the 13th best time in the region and will also run the anchor leg of the 4x400m relay.
Watt will run with the 4x400m relay team and also compete in the 200m dash (23.79).
Jade Cany, who had the fourth-best high jump 5-09.75 (1.77m) in school history last weekend will be making her first career West prelims appearance.
Coming off a silver medal in the discus at the MW championships, Erica Grotegeer has the 19th best mark in the field (182-5, 55.61m).
Pole vaulter Kaitlin Heri will be making her third straight trip to the prelims after winning the silver at the MW Championships.
Jessica Kain is the first Aztec to qualify for the NCAA West Prelims in school history since the format was adopted in 2003. Her time of 4:21.87 was the fastest time by an Aztec since 1982.
Freshman Simone Johnson will be competing in the triple jump after placing second in the triple jump.
Tai McDonald will round out the 4x100m relay team. The Aztecs have the ninth-best time in the region (44.15).
The Aztecs will also send their 4x400m relay team who is coming off their fourth straight Mountain West championship. SDSU's time of 3:38.94 ranks 18th in the region.
The top 48 student-athletes in each individual event and the top 24 relay teams are selected to compete in the preliminary rounds, held May 26-29 in College Station, Texas (West region) and Jacksonville, Fla. (East region).
This will be the first appearance in the NCAA West prelims for nine of the 14 Aztec qualifiers.
The top 12 in each event will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 10-12 in Eugene, Ore.
San Diego State NCAA West Regional Qualifiers
Maya Brosch (400m hurdles, 4x400m Relay)
Jordyn Bryant (discus, shot put)
Jade Cany (High jump)
Danae Dyer (200m, 100m hurdles, 4x100m Relay)
Erica Grotegeer (discus)
Jalyn Harris (200m, 400m, 4x400m Relay)
Kaitlin Heri (pole vault)
Rhea Hoyte (400m hurdles, 4x400m Relay)
Jessica Kain (1,500m)
Simone Johnson (triple jump)
Tai McDonald (4x100m Relay)
Nyjari McNeil (800m, 4x400m Relay)
Jada Moore (100m, 200m, 4x100m Relay)
Aisha Watt (200m, 4x100m Relay)
Aztecs Qualify 14 for NCAA West Prelims
