AUSTIN, Texas- With a trip to the NCAA National Championships on the line, 12 Shockers will compete at the NCAA West Regional Preliminary Thursday- Saturday. The top 48 athletes in the west region in each event will battle this weekend. The top 12 finishers in each event at the preliminaries will advance to the NCAA Championships.
Representing Wichita State at the NCAA West Preliminary are:
Zach Budda (No. 28 in the high jump): Budda, a freshman from Augusta, Kan. will make his first trip to regional meet. Budda qualified for this meet with a personal best jump of 6-11 ¾ at the KT Woodman Classic. This performance currently ranks as the sixth highest outdoor jump in Shocker history.
“I think it shows a lot that we have three freshman out of the 12 athletes who made it here,” Budda said.
Tomas Cotter (No. 5 3,000m Steeplechase): Four-time Missouri Valley Conference Champion, Tomas Cotter, will make his second consecutive trip to the regional meet. Last year, Cotter qualified the national meet and with his rank in the region, the senior is a favorite to move on once again. The Ireland native became the first athlete in WSU history to win MVC Championships in both the 1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase at the conference meet less than two weeks ago.
“Last year I learned how to get through the race,” Cotter said. “ I actually got a bit of luck (last year) because on the last barrier two people fell and I made it to nationals. Don't stop running till you cross that line,”
Chris Dubree (No. 35 shot put): Senior, Chris Dubree punched his ticket to the NCAA prelims with a personal best throw of 57-1 at the Track-It-Buster Invitational. Hailing from Bloomington, Ill., Dubree owns the eighth longest outdoor throw in Shocker history.
Tanya Friesen (No. 13 high jump, No. 18 long jump,) Already qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the heptathlon, Tanya Friesen will try to add the long jump and high jump to her schedule at the national meet. The senior posted the second highest jump in Shocker history when she cleared 5-10 ½ at the John McDonnell Combined Events to earn her trip to Austin. Friesen jumped a personal best of 20-3 at the KT Woodman Classic to move into sixth all-time at WSU.
Mariah Garcia (No. 5 discus), Garcia broke the Shocker discus record in her first collegiate throw. She improved that record twice more during the season, setting the new school mark at 181-9. The freshman placed second in the discus throw at the MVC Outdoor Championships.
Tyson Holmes (No. 38 javelin), A freshman from Overbrook, Kan., Tyson Holmes will make his debut at an NCAA meet. Holmes threw the ninth longest mark in Shocker history with a 213-5 toss at the KT Woodman Classic. He won the javelin at the Track-It-Buster Invitational.
Garrett Lynch (No. 40 high jump) After losing his MVC Outdoor High Jump Championship in controversial fashion, Garret Lynch will make his first appearance at the NCAA Prelims. Lynch jumped a personal best of 6-11 to qualify for this meet and move into eighth place all-time at WSU. The West Virginia native earned All-MVC honors at the conference meet two weeks ago.
“I think it's pretty cool to make it here as a freshman,” Lynch said.
Natalie Morerod (No. 24 in the 400m hurdles) For the second consecutive season, Natalie Morerod will compete at the NCAA West Prelims. Last year, the junior qualified for the NCAA Championships at this meet. Morerod ran a season best time of 59.19 at the MVC Outdoor Championships to earn her second trip to Austin.
“I feel really fortunate to be back here because I was worried I wasn't going to make it, “ Morerord said. “Last year, when I came to this meet, I was already in the top 15 so I came in with a lot more confidence, whereas, this year I would be more of a Cinderella story if I make it.
Ashley Petersen (No. 15 high jump) Freshman, Ashley Petersen will compete for the first time since winning the MVC High Jump Championship two weeks ago. The New York native jumped a personal best of 5-10 at the Beach Invitational to earn her trip to the NCAA West Prelims. This performance ranks as the third highest jump in WSU history.
Courtney Reinke (No.24 triple jump) Senior, Courtney Reinke will make her third trip to the NCAA West Prelims. Reinke placed 29th at this meet a year ago. The Oklahoma native jumped a personal best of 41-6 ½ at the MVC Outdoor Championships to earn All-MVC honors for third time in her career.
Jon Rizzo (No. 10 Javelin) Jon Rizzo will make his debut at the NCAA West Prelims. The senior threw five PRs at the MVC Outdoor Championships. Rizzo earned second place with a new personal best of 231-11. This throw is the third longest in WSU history.
Aliphine Tuliamuk-Bolton (No. 2 in the 5,000m, No. 3 in the 10,000m) Aliphine Tuliamuk-Bolton has won 13 MVC Championships and currently holds four MVC records. She ran personal bests of 15:18.86 in the 5,000m run and 32:07.20 in the 10,000m at Stanford this season. She ranks as the fifth fastest woman in NCAA history in both events.
These Shockers will try to join Friesen and Austin Bahner at the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore. Follow Wichita State Track & Field on twitter (@wichitast_tfxc) for updates and photos from the NCAA West prelims.
