Flashes qualify three more to nationals on strong final day at NCAA East Prelims
5/25/2013 12:00:00โฏAM | Track and Field, Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
GREENSBORO, N.C. โ Bill Lawson was expecting big things today (May 25), the final day of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminaries at North Carolina A&T State University's Irwin Belk Track.ย Whether Lawson can see the future or just has a pulse on the talented student-athletes on his roster is up for interpretation.
Either way, the director of track and field and cross country at Kent State was on target with his assessment.
Kent State played to its strength as its youth once again stole the show in the field events.ย Sophomore Matthias Tayala (McDonald, Ohio), and freshmen Danniel Thomas (Shrewsbery, Jamaica) and Dior Delophont (Nancy, France) all punched tickets to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore.
Thomas and Delophont are headed to the national championships in two events each.ย Tayala advanced in the hammer throw and will join freshman Reggie Jagers (Cleveland, Ohio), who qualified on Day 1 in the men's discus.
"We're thrilled to get four kids through to nationals," said Lawson, who will have four student-athletes competing in six events in Eugene.ย "A lot of good things happened [at the East Prelims]. ย We're looking forward to representing Kent State on the national stage.ย Now, we'll head home, rest a couple days, then get ready for Eugene."
Tayala, runner-up in the hammer throw at the 2012 USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships, struggled to find his rhythm during the prelims in Greensboro.ย The Kent State powerhouse found his way to the finals, though, and advanced to Eugene with an 11th-place finish at 204 feet, 9 inches.
Thomas, who qualified in the women's discus on Day 1, emphatically advanced in the shot put with a seventh-place effort at 52-10.
Delophont advanced in the triple jump with an 11th-place finish at 41-7, one day after qualifying in the high jump.ย The European stalwart was an All-American in both events during the Indoor season.
The Golden Flashes almost had two more national qualifiers in juniors C.J. Carlisle (Garrettsville, Ohio) and Joh'vonnie Mosley (Youngstown, Ohio).ย Carlisle's javelin toss of 151-10 put her in 14th place, just out of automatic qualification in the top 12.ย Mosley landed in the same place with her 51-5.75 effort in the shot put.
Senior Sara Oczypok (Pittsburgh, Pa.) placed 32nd in the javelin at 140-9, while freshman Cody Jones (Canton, Ohio) posted a 6-8.75 clearance in the high jump to tie for 30th.
Forty-eight student-athletes in individual events and 24 teams in relay events competed at each of the preliminary round sites, Greensboro, N.C. in the East and Austin, Tex. in the West.ย The top 12 competitors in each individual event and top 12 teams in each relay event from each of the preliminary round sites advanced to the national championships.
Click here to read the Day 1 recap.
Click here to read the Day 2 recap.
