Champen, Fraga Punch Tickets to Austin
5/23/2019 9:22:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Samory Fraga and Christian Champen qualified for the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships as the Kent State men's track and field team began competition at the NCAA East Preliminary Round on Thursday. Fraga placed ninth in the long jump and Champen tied for 11th in the pole vault.
The duo will join teammate TJ Lawson, who previously qualified in the decathlon, at the national championships in Austin, Texas from June from June 5-8. Fraga advances to nationals for the second time, having also qualified in 2017, and Champen will make his NCAA Championships debut.
After coming up inches short of his second straight NCAA bid a year ago, Fraga was able to extend his collegiate career with a top jump of 25'-0" on his second attempt.
Champen cleared his first two attempts in the pole vault competition and was able to get over the bar at 17'-1" on his second try to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships. The junior was unable to clear the next height of 17'-5", which would have broken the Golden Flashes' outdoor program record.
In his prelims debut, Jake Wickey finished 25th in the hammer throw with a top mark of 194'-2".
The Flashes' lone competitor on Friday will be Trevor Detillion, who will be in action in the men's discus throw at 4 p.m.
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