Baylor
NCAA West Preliminary Rounds
TF: Lyons Punches Ticket to NCAAs
5/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
May 26, 2011
EUGENE, Ore. - Senior Nick Lyons officially punched his ticket to the national championships, while seven more on the track moved one step closer at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds on Thursday in Eugene, Ore.
In the second year of the new NCAA Championship qualifying system that now features a West and East Preliminary Round site, Baylor qualified six individuals into Friday's quarterfinal round. The system features the top 48 in each of the two regions in a competition which is pared down to 24 individuals on the track and 16 individuals in the field in the first round, with 12 ultimately earning the coveted NCAA berth from each region.
The senior Lyons put himself in good position with his first throw, and then uncorked his best toss of the day with his final throw of the preliminary round. His toss of 242 feet, one inch, was good enough to earn him third place on the day and qualify him for the NCAA Championships next week.
In the first round of the races on the track, senior All-American Tiffany Townsend had the top finish among the six who qualified. She had the second-fastest time in the women's 100 meters on a wet and cold day, clocking a blistering 11.30.
In the men's 400 meters, Zwede Hewitt and Marcus Boyd each cruised into the quarterfinals safely. Hewitt was third in his heat and fifth overall at 46.42, while Boyd was second in his heat and sixth overall at 46.48.
Sophomore Brittany OgunMokun had a solid day in the 800 meters, earning a sixth-place overall finish and qualifying for the quarterfinals automatically after finishing third in her heat at 2:06.63. The time was the second-fastest of OgunMokun's career.
Junior Diamond Richardson and sophomore Christina Holland each earned automatic qualifying spots into the quarterfinals. Richardson came from behind to finish third in her heat and 13th overall with a time of 54.37. Holland, running out of Lane 1 in the 400-meter hurdles, caught up to the leaders around the final curve to get second in her heat and qualify 18th overall at 59.77.
In the men's 400-meter hurdles, freshman Gabriel El Hanbli got one step closer to his first-ever qualifying berth to the NCAA Championships with a solid performance. He finished third in his heat and 17th overall to make the quarterfinals with a time of 51.62.
Junior James Gilreath also earned his spot in the quarterfinals, placing third in his heat and 20th overall in the men's 800 meters with a time of 1:50.52.
Baylor will be back in action tomorrow on the second day of the three-day NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in Eugene, Ore. Field events begin at 10 a.m., while events on the track will start at 3 p.m.
COMPLETE BAYLOR RESULTS
Note: 'Q' or 'q' - advances to Friday's NCAA Quarterfinal unless otherwise noted
Women's 100 Meters - First Round
2. Tiffany Townsend (SR), 11.30Q
Men's 100 Meters - First Round
-- Woodrow Randall (JR), DNF
Women's 400 Meters - First Round
13. Diamond Richardson (JR), 54.37Q
Men's 400 Meters - First Round
5. Zwede Hewitt (JR), 46.42Q
6. Marcus Boyd (SR), 46.48Q
35. Drew Seale (SO), 48.11
Women's 800 Meters - First Round
6. Brittany OgunMokun (SO), 2:06.63
29. Lizzy Whitney (SO), 2:09.07
Men's 800 Meters - First Round
20. James Gilreath (JR), 1:50.52Q
Women's 1,500 Meters - First Round
6. Leigh Ann Ganzar (SR), 4:32.73
Women's 10,000 Meters - Semifinals
41. Katie Shaw (SR), 36:39.75
Women's 400-Meter Hurdles - First Round
18. Christina Holland (SO), 59.77Q
Men's 400-Meter Hurdles - First Round
17. Gabriel El Hanbli (FR), 51.62Q 27. Chance Casey (SO), 52.34
Men's Pole Vault - First Round/Quarterfinals
-- Joe Farley (SR), NH
Women's Shot Put - First Round/Quarterfinals
19. Skylar White (SO), 50-0.5 (15.25m)
Men's Javelin - First Round/Quarterfinals
3. Nick Lyons (SR), 242-1 (73.79) (Advances to NCAA Championships)
Players Mentioned
