AUSTIN, Texas – Iowa State throwers Hayli Bozarth and Danielle Frere and distance runner Meaghan Nelson qualified for the NCAA Championships Thursday night at Mike A. Myers Track during the NCAA West Preliminary. The trio of Cyclone women punched their tickets to the national finals on June 6-9 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
Bozarth posted a new personal best in the women’s shot put on her third throw of the preliminary heat, measuring out at 52-9 ¼. The throw was crucial, in retrospect, as neither of her first two throws would have qualified her for the next round, and the throw was her best of the day to put Bozarth 11th of the 12 qualifiers to come out of the West Preliminary. Bozarth came into the meet seeded 26th among the shot put competitors.
Frere had a much more forward path to clinch her place at the national finals. Both of Frere’s clean preliminary throws would have qualified her for the NCAA Championships, but she ensured her spot on her fourth throw with a distance of 53-8 ½ to put her in eighth place.
In the final event of the night, Meaghan Nelson clinched her trip to the NCAA Championships with a sixth-place effort in the 10,000-meter run. Nelson stopped the clock at 34:06.79. This will be Nelson’s first trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and second journey to an NCAA meet in 2012. Nelson was an All-American for the Cyclones in the 5,000-meter run back in March, finishing fourth. Dani Stack finished 25th in 35:56.48.
A trio of women’s 400-meter hurdlers advanced onto tomorrow’s quarterfinal round. Kianna Elahi did not leave any doubt to her intentions this weekend as the senior posted the top time of the round, winning her heat in 57.37. Ese Okoro is within striking distance of one of the 12 spots that will advance to the NCAA Championships as Okoro took third in her heat with a 58.89, placing her 15th. Donnise Powell had to wait out the sorting of results after finishing fourth in her heat, but eventually saw her name among the advancing runners in 24th place via her 1:00.09.
Ian Warner took care of business in the first round of the men’s 100-meter dash, crossing the line first in his heat with a time of 10.25, seeding him fourth in the competition going into tomorrow’s quarterfinal round to get to Des Moines. The time is the second-fastest non-wind aided time in Iowa State history, joining him with Obinna Eregbu’s effort in 1992.
Edward Kemboi’s pursuit of his second All-America honor in the 800-meter run got off to a positive start Thursday. Kemboi was second in his heat in 1:50.79 and 12th overall going into Friday’s advancement round.
Ejiro Okoro was caught in a slow heat of the women’s 800-meter dash, and missed out on the top-three spots to guarantee advancement to the next round. Okoro was fourth in the heat, 34th overall, in a time of 2:09.98. Teddy Lampkin took 40th in the men’s long jump with a distance of 23-4.
Competition for the Cyclone competitors begins at 2 p.m. CDT with Zack Richards in the hammer throw. Akeem Holmes will begin the triple jump at 6 p.m. Warner will get his chance to book his place in Des Moines in the men’s 100-meter dash at 6:30 p.m., and will be back on track for the first round of the 200-meter dash at 8 p.m. Kemboi will go for his spot at the NCAA Championships in the 800-meter run at 7 p.m., and the women’s 400-meter hurdles group of Elahi, Ese Okoro and Powell will do the same at 7:45 p.m.
NCAA West Preliminary
Men’s Results
100-meter dash: 1. Aaron Brown (USC), 10.13; 4. Ian Warner (Iowa State), 10.25
800-meter run: 1. Elijah Greer (Oregon), 1:48.05; 12. Edward Kemboi (Iowa State), 1:50.79
Long Jump: 1. Raymond Higgs (Arkansas), 27-0; 40. Teddy Lampkin (Iowa State), 23-4
Women’s Results
400-meter hurdles: 1. Kianna Elahi (Iowa State), 57.37; 15. Ese Okoro (Iowa State), 58.89; 24. Donnise Powell (Iowa State), 1:00.09
800-meter run: 1. Justine Fedronic (Stanford), 2:06.07; 34. Ejiro Okoro (Iowa State), 2:09.98
10,000-meter run: 1. Alphine Tuliamuk (Wichita State), 33:31.54; 6. Meaghan Nelson (Iowa State), 34:06.79; 25. Dani Stack (Iowa State), 35:56.48
Shot Put: 1. Tia Brooks (Oklahoma), 60-3 ¼; 8. Danielle Frere (Iowa State), 53-8 ½; 11. Hayli Bozarth (Iowa State), 52-9 ¼
