University of Missouri
NCAA Outdoor Championships - Regional
Three from @MIZ_TrackField Qualify for NCAA Championships
5/25/2017 10:23:00 PM | Track & Field
Van Zyl, Pascal and Kempfer Punch Tickets to Eugene, Thames and Jackson advance to quarterfinals
AUSTIN, Texas – Three Mizzou Track & Field student-athletes punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships on Thursday at the NCAA West Preliminary Championships. Senior Reinhard Van Zyl (Hoedspruit, South Africa) and redshirt junior Alex Pascal (Cayman Islands) advanced in the javelin, while redshirt sophomore Jamie Kempfer (Festsus, Mo.) did so in the 10,000m run. In addition to the three NCAA Championships qualifiers, senior Valerie Thames (Milwaukee, Wis.) and senior LaQuisha Jackson (Chattanooga, Tenn.) advanced to the quarterfinals in the 400m hurdles and 400m dash, respectively.
Both Mizzou javelin throwers used their third and final throws of the event to clinch their trip to Eugene. In the second flight, Pascal posted a season-best mark of 70.22m (230-4), which was good enough to rank first following the heat and fifth overall. In the third heat, Van Zyl threw 74.97m (245-11) to place third. Both will be making their second NCAA Championships appearance after Van Zyl qualified a season ago and Pascal in 2015.
Kempfer stayed near the front of the pack for the duration of the 10,000m run before crossing the finish line in third place. Kempfer, who captured the SEC Championships two weeks ago in Columbia, S.C., crossed the finish line with a time of 34:08.54. She will be making her first appearance at the NCAA Championships.
In the women's 400m hurdles, Thames finished third in heat six and 13th overall to clinch a spot in Friday's quarterfinals. The Tiger senior crossed the finish line with a time of 58.96, her third-fastest 400m hurdles time of the season. In the women's 400m dash, Jackson advanced with a time of 53.72 to finish third in her heat and 17th overall. Both will toe the line in two races on Friday, as Thames will run in the first round of the 100m hurdles as well as the 400m hurdles quarterfinals, while Jackson will run in the first round of the 200m dash and the quarterfinals of the 400m dash.
Two Tigers – sophomore Maya Cody (St. Louis, Mo.) and redshirt senior Luca Russo (Kent, England) – missed out on qualifying for quarterfinals heats by one spot. Cody finished 25th in the 100m dash with a wind-aided personal record time of 11.42, while Russo finished 15th in the 1500m run at 3:53.10. After finishing seventh in his heat, Russo clocked the fifth-fastest non-automatic qualifying time, with only the top-four advancing to the quarterfinals.
Mizzou continues action at the NCAA West Preliminary Championships tomorrow, beginning with field events at 12 p.m. CT, followed by track events at 4:30 p.m. CT.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
Track Results
100m Dash, Women – 25. Maya Cody, 11.42 PR* (W – 2.8)
400m Dash, Men – 25. Kahmari Montgomery, 46.92
400m Dash, Women – 17. LaQuisha Jackson, 53.72Q
800m Run, Men – 36. Cain Winebrenner, 1:52.14
1500m Run, Men – 15. Luca Russo, 3:53.10
10,000m Run, Men – 23. Ollie Lockley, 31:07.66
10,000m Run, Women – 3. Jamie Kempfer, 34:08.54Q
400m Hurdles, Men – 33. Jerrad Mason, 52.60
400m Hurdles, Women – 11. Valerie Thames, 58.95Q
Field Events
Hammer Throw, Men – 31. Patrick Kunza, 60.86m (199-8) PR // 38. Ahren Bohanan, 58.80m (192-11)
Hammer Throw, Women – 22. Rebecca Keating, 58.59m (192-2) PR
Javelin, Men – 3. Reinhard Van Zyl, 74.97m (245-11)q // 5. Alex Pascal, 70.22m (230-4)q
Players Mentioned
