OSU Advances Four at NCAA Preliminaries

May 27, 2016 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track

LAWRENCE, Kan. – After multiple long weather delays Thursday, the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field West Preliminaries kicked off Friday with a slight format change as two Cowboys and two Cowgirls advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Nick Miller only needed one throw to clinch a spot in his third NCAA Outdoor Championships on the first day of competition. Miller stepped into the ring and launched a season-best 76.93m/252-4 foot throw to advance to Oregon, marking the best throw in the competition and in the NCAA this season.

Although he missed the 2015 outdoor season, the seven-time Big 12 champion has made it to the NCAA Championships in each season of his collegiate competition. At his last NCAA appearance in 2014, Miller took home a first-team outdoor All-America honor and finished runner-up in the hammer throw.

Following the cancellation of Thursday's events, the format of the regional prelims changed, turning all of the preliminaries into national quarterfinals, providing automatic qualification only to the heat winners.

John Teeters ran in the first heat of the 100-meter dash and qualified on time with a 10.26. He goes to Eugene in pursuit of his first NCAA title after finishing runner-up at indoors twice and missing out on last year's outdoor championships due to injury.

"Today was a great day for us, considering the conditions and the hand we were dealt last night," sprints coach Diego Flaquer said. "Most importantly, we made it to nationals and we're healthy, and those are our main priorities right now."

Teeters' weekend continues Saturday when the 4X100-meter relay opens the running events on final day of competition in Lawrence, Kansas.

"Our weekend isn't done though," Flaquer said. "We have to turn our focus to the 4X100-relay and get back to Eugene in that, too."

The Cowgirls' first championship qualifier this weekend was Savannah Camacho who got through on time in a quick 800-meter heat. Finishing just behind defending champion Raevyn Rogers of Oregon in heat five, Camacho ran a 2:06.37 and clinched a return trip to Hayward Field where she took eighth in the final a season ago.

"This was probably the most stressful race of my life," Camacho said. "The qualifying requirements and weather made it tough, but I knew I could do it. I just had to believe in my training."

Her most recent first-team All-America honor came this indoor season when she finished fourth in the 800.

"I'm really happy to be back in the championships – qualifying for nationals never gets old," Camacho said. "I've been training hard this whole year and I've had some highs and lows, but that's just the way this sport goes. I've got great people supporting me win or lose, and I owe a lot of my positivity and confidence to them."

In the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, Cowgirl senior Ingeborg Loevnes qualified automatically when she took second in her heat in 10:02.40.

Loevnes and two other women established a lead pack early and never looked back. It will be Loevnes' second-consecutive year advancing to the final. While she made the final last year, she sustained an injury before the race and did not compete.

The NCAA West Preliminaries continue Saturday for OSU with the quarterfinals of the men's and women's 1,500-meter runs, the women's shot put, men's 5,000 and men's 4X100-meter relay. Chase Ealey will open things for the Pokes Saturday with the shot put starting at 9:30 a.m.

NCAA West Preliminary Rounds | May 26-27, 2016 | Lawrence, Kansas

Women's Results

800 Meter Quarterfinal
8. Savannah Camacho – 2:06.37q
14. Clara Nichols – 2:07.47
27. Abbie Hetherington – 2:09.61
36. Kaylee Dodd – 2:11.38
44. Kaytlyn Larson – 2:18.47

3,000 Meter Steeplechase Semifinal
3. Ingeborg Loevnes – 10:02.40Q

10,000 Meter Semifinal
44. Natalie Baker – 37:46.27
--. Monika Juodeskaite - DNF

Javelin Throw Qualifying
30. Megan Honas – 45.87m/150-5

Men's Results

100 Meter Quarterfinal
6. John Teeters – 10.26q
29. Arlando Brewer-Johnson – 10.55

800 Meter Quarterfinal
25. Tre'Tez Kinnaird – 1:50.52

Long Jump Qualifying
21. Jacob Fincham-Dukes – 7.35m/24-1.5
35. Simon Imagbe – 7.05m/23-1.75

Hammer Throw Qualifying
1. Nick Miller – 76.93m/252-4Q