AUSTIN -- BYU’s throwers took care of business Thursday in the first day of the NCAA Track and Field West Preliminary as four finished in the top 12 of their respective events to qualifying for NCAA Nationals.
“We had some very good performances today,” BYU men’s head coach Mark Robison said. “The heat and humidity have been a challenge but we’re competing well. The javelin went well with all three of our guys qualifying for NCAAs. Ryan Waite ran great and easily qualified for the next round in the 800 meters. We’re in pretty good shape. We have a lot of events tomorrow and we hope everyone will perform well.”
The javelin trio of Sean Richardson, Blaine Baker and Chris Reno finished 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively, to earn spots in the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 9-12. Leif Arrhenius was the fourth thrower to qualify with a sixth-place finish in the shot put.
Ryan Waite had a successful day with a seventh-pace finish in the 800 meters. He is one of 24 runners that advanced to compete on Friday in the quarterfinals. The top 12 in each event advance to the NCAA Championships along with the top 12 in each event in the East Preliminary.
Competition resumes on Friday with Chris Little and Tanner Emrich competing in the pole vault, Oliver Whaley in the hammer throw, Trevor Heiner in the high jump, Waite in the 800m quarterfinals, Bryan Payne and Lance Walker in the 400m hurdles and Richard Nelson, Ryan Merriman and Josh Adams in the 3000m steeplechase.
See the list below for the athlete’s marks from Thursday. CLICK HERE for complete results.
Rank Name Event Mark
10 Sean Richardson* Javelin 67.09mq 220-01
11 Blaine Baker* Javelin 66.72mq 218-11
12 Chris Reno* Javelin 65.51mq 214-11
6 Leif Arrhenius* Shot put 18.11mq 59-05.00
27 Daniel Lawson Shot put 16.64m 54-07.25
32 Lance Walker 400m hurdles 52.51
37 Bryan Payne 400m hurdles 53.35
38 Brian Weirich 1500m 3:53.13
38 Rhyan Atrice 400m 47.87
7 Ryan Waite@ 800m 1:47.96Q
27 Jonathan Kotter 10000m 30:35.93
40 Aaron Powell Long jump 6.78m 22-03.00
*Qualified for NCAA National Championships in Eugene, Ore.
@Advanced to final 24 at West Preliminary