Kent State University
NCAA East Preliminary
Kent State Seeks National Bids at NCAA East Prelims
5/23/2018 8:42:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
NCAA East Preliminary Round Central • Meet Schedule (PDF) • Entry Lists • Live Results • Video ($)
The Kent State track and field program will send 16 student-athletes to Tampa, Florida this weekend (May 24-26) to compete at the 2018 NCAA East Preliminary Championships.
The top 48 declared student-athletes in each individual event will compete in the meet, which will take place at USF Track and Field Stadium. The top 12 performers from each preliminary site will advance to the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 6-9 in Eugene, Oregon.
Among the Golden Flashes' entries, Riak Reese (100m, 200m) and Nicole Yeargin (200m) are the lone competitors in running events. In field events, Kent State will have five competitors in throwing events — Trevor Detillion (discus), Gabrielle Figueroa (hammer throw), David Paliscak (shot put), Walter Petzel (shot put) and Vanessa Vodan (javelin) — five competitors in the pole vault events — Christian Champen, Maria Horrigan, Evan Lesnick, Ally Thompson and Sam Tollerud — and four competitors in jumping events — Samory Fraga (long jump), Brad Jones (high jump), Anthony Milliner (triple jump) and Craig Stevens, Jr. (triple jump).
Previewing the Flashes
Kent State will have 11 members of the men's team and six members of the women's team in action at the NCAA East Preliminary Championships.
The Flashes have four entries that are top-10 seeds. All-American Craig Stevens, Jr. is the No. 7 seed in the triple jump with a personal-best mark of 53'-1.50", while Gabrielle Figueroa and Riak Reese seek to bring their collegiate careers to an end with their first trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Figueroa' school record mark of 206'-6" in the hammer throw makes her the No. 9 seed and Reese is 10th in both the 100-meter dash (10.14) and 200-meter dash (20.43).
Samory Fraga will attempt to earn his second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships in the long jump. Fraga is seeded 14 with a school record jump of 25'-8".
Eugene, Oregon native Sam Tollerud looks to capitalize on her final opportunity to advance to the NCAA Championships and compete in front of family and friends in her hometown. Tollerud is the No. 15 seed with a season-best height of 13'-8.5".
Vanessa Vodan is seeded 18th in the javelin throw after a heave of 160'-3" that ranks eighth in program history at the Mid-American Conference. Vodan, a catcher on the Kent State softball team, hopes to take advantage of being able to focus on just one sport over the week-plus leading up to this weekend's competition.
Trevor Detillion is the No. 20 seed in the discus throw with a top mark of 181'-1", which ranks eighth in program history.
Next Up for Kent State
The Golden Flashes will compete at the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 6-9 in Eugene, Oregon. TJ Lawson has already qualified to compete in the decathlon for the second year in a row.
NCAA East Preliminary Championships Schedule
Thursday
Track Events
2:30 pm - M 100m (First Round) - Riak Reese
Field Events
9:30 am - M Pole Vault – Christian Champen, Evan Lesnick
1:30 pm - W Javelin - Vanessa Vodan
3:30 pm - M Long Jump – Samory Fraga
Friday
Track Events
2:00 pm - M 100m (Quarterfinal) - Riak Reese
3:30 pm - M 200m (First Round) - Riak Reese
3:55 pm - W 200m (First Round) - Nicole Yeargin
Field Events
8:45 am - M Discus – Trevor Detillion
9:30 am - W Pole Vault – Maria Horrigan, Ally Thompson, Sam Tollerud
Saturday
Track Events
2:05 pm - M 200m (Quarterfinal) – Riak Reese
2:20 pm - W 200m (Quarterfinal) – Nicole Yeargin
Field Events
8:45 am - W Hammer – Gabrielle Figueroa
2:00 pm - M High Jump – Brad Jones
3:30 pm - M Triple Jump – Anthony Milliner, Craig Stevens, Jr.
5:30 pm - M Shot Put – David Paliscak, Walter Petzel
Players Mentioned
