15 UTA Track & Field Athletes Qualify For NCAA West Prelims

Thursday, May 23

Sacramento, CA

All Day

University of Texas Arlington

NCAA West Preliminary Round

5/17/2019 9:34:00 AM | Track & Field

Mavericks will be competing in 14 individual events and two relays

By: Drew Harris

ARLINGTON, Texas – Twelve UT Arlington student-athletes have qualified for a total of 14 individual events, and two Mavericks relay teams are also in the field at the 2019 NCAA West Preliminary Round, the NCAA has announced.

The NCAA West meet will be contested May 23-25 in Sacramento, Calif. The top 48 individuals in each event and the top 24 relays were selected. To advance to the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas (June 5-8), athletes must finish in the top 12 in Sacramento.

Two UTA men qualified in multiple events. Included in that group is Sun Belt Conference 100-meter champion Deontre Haynes, who ranks 19th in the event. He also earned a spot in the 200-meter field.

Additionally, Justin Domangue, the Men's High Point Scorer at the SBC Championships last weekend, will compete in a pair of distance events, the 3000m steeplechase and 5000 meters.

UTA's highest ranked competitor in any event is Erik Martinsson, who is 12th in the region in the 800 meters. This year, he set a new school record (1:47.81) and also broke his own league meet record (1:47.99) in the event.

Other men's entrants in the West Preliminary Round include: Isaiah McBride in the 100m, Victor Fincher in the 110m hurdles, Brenden Wallace in the 400m, Michael Guerrero in the 10,000m and Darius Prescott in the triple jump.

Both men's relay teams, the 4x100m (12th) and 4x400m (15th) also will be participating. Team members in the 4x1 include Haynes, McBride, D'Undre Mitchell and Anthony Aldridge. The 4x4 crew consists of Martinsson, Mitchell, Wallace and David Seastrunk.

For the women, Alexus Henry will begin her NCAA title defense in the high jump. She currently ranks 15th in the West Region with a season-best clearance of 5-10 ½. Over the upcoming weeks, Henry will be seeking to earn her fourth career All-America honors between the indoor and outdoor seasons.

After her school-record setting performance in winning the javelin at the Sun Belt meet with a throw of 165-01, Rhiley Fritz also joined the region's top 20 (17th) to solidify her spot in the field.

A pair of Maverick newcomers also advanced to the West Prelims, as Trishawna Crawford earned a spot in the 100m, while Vanessa Ugorji qualified in the 400m. Both are fresh off strong showings at the Sun Belt Conference Championships.

--www.UTAMavs.com--