JONESBORO, Ark. (5/16/24) – Seven Arkansas State track and field athletes are set to continue their seasons next week at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, held Wednesday-Friday in Fayetteville, Ark.

Athletes who rank among the top 48 in their respective events earn bids into the prelims, with others added due to scratches among the initial top 48. The top 12 individuals in each event at both the East and West Prelims advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, held June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore.

A full schedule can be found at NCAA.com.

Two-time Sun Belt Conference decathlon champion Colby Eddowes will compete in the 110-meter hurdles, boasting a qualifying mark of 13.75. Eddowes will open up the week’s track action at 6 p.m. Wednesday, and should he advance, will run in the quarterfinals at 6:15 p.m. Friday, May 24. The sophomore is making his second trip to prelims in as many seasons, his first in the hurdles after competing in the long jump last year.

Willem Coertzen, who won the conference title with a career-best toss of 18.52m (60-9.25), is set to throw in the men’s shot put first round at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Competitors will have three throws, with the top 12 finishers advancing to the national championships. Coertzen is making his second straight appearance in the prelims in the event.

At 7:50 p.m. Wednesday, Hannes Fahl will compete in the 800-meter prelims for the second year in a row. The Sun Belt champion, owning a qualifying time of 1:49.04 looks to be among the top 24 finishers to advance to Friday’s quarterfinal at 7:05 p.m.

Freshman Josh Jones will run in the 400-meter hurdles first round at 8:20 p.m. Wednesday. The quarterfinals among the top-24 first-round finishers will be held at 7:25 p.m. Friday.

On Thursday, Selase Sampram and Michelle Ogbemudia are slated to throw in the women’s shot put, slated for a 7 p.m. start. Sampram qualified with a throw of 16.77m (55-0.25), while Ogbemudia – earning her second straight bid to prelims after doing so last season at Stephen F. Austin – boasts a qualifying mark of 16.26m (53-4.25).

Friday features Menachem Chen in the men’s discus throw first round at 1 p.m., with the top 12 athletes after three throws advancing to Eugene. The school-record holder boasts a top throw of 57.59m (188-11), which he recorded in a first-place finish at the Alumni Classic on April 20. Most recently, he placed fourth in the discus at the Sun Belt Conference Championships.

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