Hokie ClubJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Seven more Hokies - freshman Martina Schultze (pole vault), juniors Alexander Ziegler (hammer throw) and Denis Mahmic (hammer throw), senior Hasheem Halim (triple jump), sophomore Darrell Wesh (100 meters), senior Keith Ricks (100 meters) and senior Sammy Dow (3000 meter steeplechase) - qualified for the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship Friday as the Virginia Tech men's and women's track & field teams competed on the day two of the NCAA East Preliminary Round at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida. Wesh, Ricks and Dow highlighted Friday's action for the Hokies all three set school records - Wesh in the 100 meters (10.18), Ricks in the 200 meters (20.46) and Dow in the 3000 meter steeplechase (10:03.37).
Along with the three qualifiers from yesterday, Tech now has 10 individuals qualified for the national championship at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in two weeks.
Wesh (10.18) and Ricks (10.23) went 1-2 in the first heat of the men's 100 meter quarterfinals to automatically advance to Drake and the NCAA Championship. Wesh's 10.18 is an Olympic Games and U.S. Olympic Trials "A" standard and bettered Ricks' school record of 10.21 set earlier this year in the prelims at the ACC Championship. Wesh recorded the third overall fastest time in the quarterfinals, while Ricks' time was the fifth fastest.
Ricks reset his own school record in the first round of the 200 meters as he won heat one in 20.46, taking nearly three tenths of a second off his previous record. Ricks' time of 20.46 is also an Olympic Games and U.S. Olympic Trials "A" standard and puts him into tomorrow's quarterfinal with the third fastest qualifying time. Junior Jonathan McCants (21.45) and Wesh (22.31) also ran in the 200m, but did not make it through to the quarterfinal round.
Dow reset her own school record for the third time this season in the 3000 meter steeplechase as she finished second in heat three and fifth overall with a time of 10:03.37. She advances to run at the NCAA Outdoor Championship for the second straight year in the steeple.
Ziegler, the defending national champion in the hammer throw, advanced to Drake with a second place finish of 230-1 (70.13m), hitting his best mark on his third attempt. Mahmic came through on his final throw as he vaulted from 16th place to 11th place and earned his place at nationals with a mark of 207-3 (63.17m).
In the women's pole vault, Schultze cleared 13-5.25 (4.10m) to finish ninth overall. She started the day in solid form with first attempt clearances at 3.80m, 3.95m and 4.05m, before taking three attempts to clear 4.10m and punch her ticket to nationals. Freshman Victoria von Eynatten was 16th at 13-3.5 (4.05m) and redshirt sophomore Leigh Allin finished tied for 21st with a clearance of 12-5.5 (3.80m).
Halim finished eighth in the men's triple jump as he notched his best mark of 51-3.5 (15.63m) on his first attempt and will once again represent Tech on the national stage.
Junior Jeff Artis-Gray continued his strong weekend as he ran an all conditions personal best 13.83 in the 110 meter hurdles to place 10th overall and second in heat four, which advanced him through to tomorrow's quarterfinal. Were it not for a +3.5 meter/second tailwind, Artis-Gray would have recorded his second school record in as many days. Virginia Tech recognizes wind readings of less than 3.0 m/s for school records. Regardless, Artis-Gray will run again tomorrow in an attempt to qualify for a second event at the NCAA Championship. He is already going to Des Moines in the long jump, thanks to his school record leap of 24-11.25 (7.60m) yesterday.
In other quarterfinal rounds Thursday, junior Yvonne Amegashie finished 19th in the 400 meters in a time of 53.87 and junior Tihut Degfae was 22nd in the men's 800 meters (1:51.02). Senior Jason Cusack clocked a time of 9:04.93 in the 3000 meter steeplechase and placed 26th.
Freshman Leah Nugent clocked an all conditions PR of 13.65 (+3.1) in the first round of the 100 meter hurdles, but finished fifth in her heat and did not advance. Senior Ogechi Nwaneri ran 24.16 in the first round of the 200 meters, while freshman Ciara Simms posted a time of 24.41.
The top-48 declared student-athletes in each individual event and the top-24 declared relays qualified for the East and West preliminary meets. The West Preliminary Round is at the University of Texas. The top-12 student-athletes and relays from each region then advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa, from June 6-9. In the combined events, the top-24 declared student-athletes advanced directly to the NCAA Championship at Drake.
Tech will be back in action tomorrow in Jacksonville for the third and final day of the NCAA East Prelims.