Texas Tech women qualify more for NCAA championships
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — At NCAA regional track and field meets, throwers and horizontal jumpers face pressure to be on from the get-go, because they receive only three attempts.
Texas Tech throwers Malin Smith and Seasons Usual flirted with danger on Saturday, but did what they needed to do to advance in the women's discus.
Smith fouled on two of her three throws, but she landed her second attempt at 183 feet, 8 inches and wound up eighth in the NCAA West Preliminary meet. The top 12 in each event qualify for the NCAA outdoor championships June 8-11 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Smith, a transfer to Tech after three years at Cincinnati, will be making her first appearance at an NCAA national meet.
Usual qualified for her third consecutive NCAA outdoor championships. The graduate student from Brandywine, Maryland finished ninth in 2019, good for second-team all-America status and, after the 2020 meet was canceled amid the COVID outbreak, finished third last year for first-team all-America recognition.
Usual was outside the cut line until her last attempt Saturday, when she threw 180-9 and got the last qualifying spot.
Saturday was the last day of the four-day meet hosted by Arkansas at John McDonnell Field.
In other events early Saturday, Tech's Sidney Sapp advanced in the women's high jump, clearing 5-11 1/4 to tie for seventh. Sapp, a junior from Del City, Oklahoma, finished 14th at the NCAA indoor championships in March and won her first Big 12 title two weeks ago in Lubbock.
Arkansas is one of two regional sites narrowing the field of athletes for the NCAA outdoor championships. The East Preliminary meet took place in Bloomington, Indiana.
In individual events at each regional, 48 athletes are whittled to 12 to advance to Eugene. The regionals also determine the top 12 in relay events.
Several more Tech women were on the card Saturday night.
In men's events late Friday, Tech sprinter Courtney Lindsey advanced in both the 100 meters and the 200, and middle-distance man Moad Zahafi set a facility record while running the fastest time in the 800, hitting the line in 1 minute, 44.65 seconds.
Malik Metivier won his heat of the 400-meter hurdles in 48.98, second-best for the round and fourth fastest in Tech history.
The other Red Raiders who qualified for Eugene were Terrence Jones in the 100 meters and Chris Welch and Jalen Seals in the triple jump.
In the 100, Jones ran 10.03 and Lindsey a wind-assisted 10.11, third- and sixth-best in the competition. Jones' time was fifth fastest in Tech history, and four-time NCAA champion Divine Oduduru ran the four times better than his.
Lindsey won his quarterfinal of the 200 in 20.15, a personal record and second among the 24 starters.
In the triple jump, Welch uncorked a 54-footer on his first attempt, a personal record, and finished fourth. Seals went 52-10 1/4 for seventh.
Tech's Denim Rogers, Maliek Kendall and Taylor Rooney narrowly missed the top 12 in the 110-meter hurdles.
NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY
at Fayetteville, Arkansas
Texas Tech and area athletes' results only
E—Qualified for NCAA championships June 8-11 in Eugene, Oregon
Saturday's Results
WOMEN
Field Events
Discus: 8. E-Malin Smith, 183 feet, 8 inches; 12. E-Seasons Usual, 180-9; Kayli Johnson, did not start.
High jump: 7. E-Sidney Sapp, 5-11 1/4; 40. (tie) Callie Jones, 5-5 1/4.
Running Events
400-meter relay: Texas Tech, disqualified
Friday's late results
MEN
Field Events
Triple jump: 4. E-Chris Welch, 54-0 (wind: 0.5 meters per second); 7. E-Jalen Seals, 52-10 1/4 (0.8 mps).
Running Events
100: 3. E-Terrence Jones, 10.03 (wind: 0.7 mps); 6. E-Courtney Lindsey, 10.11 (wind: 2.3 mps); 15. Emmanuel Yeboah, Texas A&M (formerly Western Texas College), 10.20 (wind: 0.7 mps); 21. Jacolby Shelton, 10.30 (wind: 2.3 mps).
800: 1. E-Moad Zahafi, 1 minute, 44.65 seconds (facility record); 13. Marco Vilca, 1:47.90.
400 hurdles: 2. E-Malik Metivier, 48.98; 5. E-Moitalel Mpoke, Texas A&M (formerly South Plains College), 49.35; 18. Oskar Edlund, 51.64.
200: 2. E-Courtney Lindsey, 20.15 (wind: 0.0 mps).
1,600 relay: 21. Texas Tech (Ryan Champlin, Eran Siboni, Marco Vilca, Sven Cepus), 3:11.01.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Track and field: Texas Tech women qualify more for NCAA championships
