Troy University Athletics
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Seven Troy Trojans Qualify for NCAA Track & Field East Preliminary
5/17/2012 5:16:00 PM | Track & Field
TROY, Ala. – Seven Troy Trojans will compete at the NCAA East Preliminary on the campus of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., on May 24-26, the NCAA announced Thursday afternoon.
“I am really proud of this group for what they have already accomplished and am looking forward to seeing them compete next weekend,” Troy head coach Jill Lancaster said. “We don't necessarily have the number of athletes competing at the NCAA meet this year, but that is because we don't have any relay teams going. What we do have is a large number of individuals competing in a number of events which showcases our depth.”
Senior Martins Pildavs is the second seed in the javelin with a seed mark of 75.60 meters that he threw at the South Alabama Invitational on April 12. The native of Murjani, Latvia, enters the NCAA East Preliminary meet with the fifth best mark in the nation. Mackenzie Howell will join Pildavs in the javelin after earning the 28th seed with a mark of 65.68 meters.
“Martins had a rough regional last year and is excited about the opportunity to prove himself and raise his performance to a new level,” Lancaster said. “He has become much more consistent with his throws this season and hitting them all the time. Mackenzie has benefitted from his leadership coming off a broken ankle last year; when you have athletes competing at the highest level it spreads throughout the team.”
Coming off a championship jump of 2.11 meters in the high jump at the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships last week in Lafayette, junior Larry Henry will compete at the NCAA East Preliminary with a seed mark of 2.13 meters.
Junior Neko Freeman qualified for the 100m dash with a seed time of 10.46, he took the silver medal at the Sun Belt Championships. Sophomore Thaddeus Curtis qualified in the 110m hurdles with a seed time of 14.14 and Eddie Lynn qualified in the discus throw with a seed mark of 52.80 meters and is coming off a second place finish at the Sun Belt Championships.
Junior Nicola Bolla enters the NCAA East Preliminary meet seeded 11th in the region in the hammer throw after finishing second at the Sun Belt Championships. His mark of 63.85 meters at the Troy Coach “O” Invitational is the 18th best in the NCAA this season.
The NCAA Selection Committee accepted the top 48 performers in each individual event and the top 24 relay teams in both relays to compete at each site hosting the NCAA Preliminary Rounds for a total of 96 individuals and 48 relays competing in each event nationwide.
When competing in the NCAA Preliminary Rounds, the top 12 finishers in each open and relay event will qualify for the national semifinal and final rounds of the 2012 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships scheduled to run June 6-9 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
“I am really proud of this group for what they have already accomplished and am looking forward to seeing them compete next weekend,” Troy head coach Jill Lancaster said. “We don't necessarily have the number of athletes competing at the NCAA meet this year, but that is because we don't have any relay teams going. What we do have is a large number of individuals competing in a number of events which showcases our depth.”
Senior Martins Pildavs is the second seed in the javelin with a seed mark of 75.60 meters that he threw at the South Alabama Invitational on April 12. The native of Murjani, Latvia, enters the NCAA East Preliminary meet with the fifth best mark in the nation. Mackenzie Howell will join Pildavs in the javelin after earning the 28th seed with a mark of 65.68 meters.
“Martins had a rough regional last year and is excited about the opportunity to prove himself and raise his performance to a new level,” Lancaster said. “He has become much more consistent with his throws this season and hitting them all the time. Mackenzie has benefitted from his leadership coming off a broken ankle last year; when you have athletes competing at the highest level it spreads throughout the team.”
Coming off a championship jump of 2.11 meters in the high jump at the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships last week in Lafayette, junior Larry Henry will compete at the NCAA East Preliminary with a seed mark of 2.13 meters.
Junior Neko Freeman qualified for the 100m dash with a seed time of 10.46, he took the silver medal at the Sun Belt Championships. Sophomore Thaddeus Curtis qualified in the 110m hurdles with a seed time of 14.14 and Eddie Lynn qualified in the discus throw with a seed mark of 52.80 meters and is coming off a second place finish at the Sun Belt Championships.
Junior Nicola Bolla enters the NCAA East Preliminary meet seeded 11th in the region in the hammer throw after finishing second at the Sun Belt Championships. His mark of 63.85 meters at the Troy Coach “O” Invitational is the 18th best in the NCAA this season.
The NCAA Selection Committee accepted the top 48 performers in each individual event and the top 24 relay teams in both relays to compete at each site hosting the NCAA Preliminary Rounds for a total of 96 individuals and 48 relays competing in each event nationwide.
When competing in the NCAA Preliminary Rounds, the top 12 finishers in each open and relay event will qualify for the national semifinal and final rounds of the 2012 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships scheduled to run June 6-9 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
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