No. 1 Razorbacks Collect 24 NCAA West Preliminary Qualifiers
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 1 University of Arkansas women’s track and field team has collected 24 total qualifiers for the 2015 NCAA West Preliminary. Overall, the Razorbacks will be represented by 17 student-athletes in 12 events with an additional entry in the 4×400-meter relay. The prelude to the national meet will be contested May 28-30 at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas.
The top 48 declared athletes were selected into individual events per region with the top 24 relay teams per region also qualifying. The NCAA East Preliminary will be held the same weekend at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The top-12 qualifiers in each event from the two preliminary meets will advance to compete June 10-13 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward in Eugene, Ore.
The Razorbacks’ preliminary qualifiers are led by the trio of Sandi Morris, Dominique Scott and Chrishuna Williams who own the top-ranked mark in their respective events. Scott and Diane Robison are both set to compete at 5,000 and 10,000 meters while multi-event standouts Taliyah Brooks and Alex Gochenour are entered in three events for the preliminary event. Morris leads a quartet of Arkansas entries in the pole vault while the team also has three top-10 qualifiers in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Along with their preliminary duties in individual events, Brooks and Gochenour have already secured spots at the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon. The list of national entries in the two-day, seven-event competition was also announced Thursday. Gochenour is fifth in the nation with her score of 6,027 points while Brooks tallied 5,681 points at the SEC meet to secure her place among the field of 24.
NCAA West Preliminary Entries (with qualifying mark)
400 Meters
2. Taylor Ellis-Watson – 51.18 [No. 2 in school history]
800 Meters
1. Chrishuna Williams – 2:01.61 [No. 1 in school history]
10. Rebekka Simko – 2:05.18 [No. 7 in school history]
1,500 Meters
28. Therese Haiss – 4:22.46
5,000 Meters
3. Dominique Scott – 15:32.55 [No. 1 in school history]
11. Diane Robison – 15:53.47
42. Valerie Reina – 16:30.77
10,000 Meters
1. Dominique Scott – 32:11.60 [No. 1 in school history]
17. Diane Robison – 33:55.12
100m Hurdles
8. Alex Gochenour – 13.15 [No. 6 in school history]
10. Taliyah Brooks – 13.23 [No. 7 in school history]
3,000m Steeplechase
4. Jessica Kamilos – 9:57.17
7. Shannon Klenke – 10:07.62 [No. 4 in school history]
10. Regan Ward – 10:13.29 [No. 5 in school history]
4x400m Relay
2. Swinton/Harper/C. Williams/Ellis-Watson – 3:31.35 [No. 8 in school history]
High Jump
27. Alex Gochenour – 1.78m/5-10 [No. 5 in school history]
36. Taliyah Brooks – 1.76m/5-9.25 [=No. 6 in school history]
Pole Vault
1. Sandi Morris – 4.72m/15-5.75 [No. 1 in school history]
6. Desiree Freier – 4.35m/14-3.25 [No. 4 in school history]
7. Ariel Voskamp – 4.34m/14-2.75 [No. 5 in school history]
21. Megan Zimlich – 4.16m/13-7.75
Long Jump
8. Alex Gochenour – 6.27m/20-7
10. Taliyah Brooks – 6.25m/20-6.25
Javelin
16. Amethyst Boyd – 48.53/159-3
For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.
