Kent State University
NCAA East Preliminary Round
Track and Field Takes Momentum into NCAA East Prelims Meet
5/24/2022 4:08:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
The Kent State track and field program begins competition at the 2022 NCAA East Preliminary Round on Wednesday morning. The four-day meet will take place May 25-28 at Indiana University.
The top 12 performers in each event will advance to the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 8-11 in Eugene, Oregon.
The Golden Flashes will have 13 student-athletes in action. Women's throwers Gabby Bailey (discus, shot put) and Grace Tennant (discus, javelin, shot put) will compete in multiple events, giving Kent State 16 total entries.
Jake Wickey will open Wednesday's first day of competition at 10 a.m., seeking to advance to the NCAA finals in the men's hammer throw for the first time. Wickey is seeded 14th and will throw in the final of three flights. Scott Benco and Bradley Heck are entered in the first flight of the men's javelin, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. Lukas Van Der Watt rounds out the field competitors for the day with the men's pole vault at 6:30 p.m. Alexander Shields will get the Flashes started on the track in the men's 110-meter hurdles at 2 p.m. Asa Hodrick will bring the day to a close in the men's 200-meter dash at 4:45 p.m. In order to advance to the next round on Friday evening, Shields and Hodrick will need to finish in the top three of their heat or the top six among those who are not top-three finishers in their respective events.
Grace Tennant will start her busy meet in the women's javelin on Thursday at 2 p.m. Tennant and Gabby Bailey are scheduled to throw in the women's shot put at 7 p.m. The pair led a quartet of Flashes who posted outdoor personal-bests at the Mid-American Conference Championships and moved to the No. 3 spot in the USTFCCCA national rankings for the event.
Leah Pasqualetti will attempt to punch a ticket to TrackTown USA for the second year in a row in the women's pole vault at 6:30 p.m. Benja Duff will represent Kent State on the track in the women's 100-meter hurdles at 6 p.m. Duff will advance to the next round on Saturday evening by finishing in the top three in her heat or the top six among those who are not top-three finishers.
Kent State's flight crew will be in action on Friday, as Alexandre Malanda and Anthony Milliner are slated to compete in the men's triple jump at 6 p.m. The pair leads a triple jump squad that ranks ninth in the country.
The meet will conclude on Saturday with Aliesha Shaw joining Bailey and Tennant in the women's discus throw, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. The Flashes rank eighth nationally as a unit in the event.
Be sure to follow the Golden Flashes on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the team.
NCAA East Preliminary Championships Schedule
Wednesday, May 25
Track Events
2:00 pm - M 110m Hurdles (First Round) – Alexander Shields
4:45 pm - M 200m (First Round) – Asa Hodrick
Field Events
10:00 am - M Hammer Throw – Jake Wickey
2:00 pm - M Javelin Throw – Scott Benco, Bradley Heck
2:30 pm - M Pole Vault – Lukas Van Der Watt
Thursday, May 26
Track Events
6:00 pm – W 100m Hurdles (First Round) – Benja Duff
Field Events
2:00 pm - W Javelin Throw – Grace Tennant
6:30 pm - W Pole Vault – Leah Pasqualetti
7:00 pm - W Shot Put – Gabby Bailey, Grace Tennant
Friday, May 27
Track Events
6:15 pm - M 110m Hurdles (Quarterfinal) – Alexander Shields
7:50 pm - M 200m (Quarterfinal) – Asa Hodrick
Field Events
6:00 pm - M Triple Jump – Alexandre Malanda, Anthony Milliner
Saturday, May 28
Track Events
6:15 pm – W 100m Hurdles (Quarterfinal) – Benja Duff
Field Events
1:00 pm - W Discus Throw – Gabby Bailey, Aliesha Shaw, Grace Tennant
Players Mentioned
