JONESBORO, Ark. (5/27/25) – Seven Arkansas State track and field athletes are set to vie for spots in the NCAA Outdoor Championships beginning Wednesday with the start of the West Preliminary Rounds, held at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas.

EVENT COVERAGE

Each day of competition will be streamed live on ESPN+ coinciding with the start of track events in the evening. Links to each day’s stream, as well as live results can be found here.

THE FORMAT

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 11-14, in Eugene, Oregon.

All track events, except for the 5000 meters, 10,000 meters and 3000-meter steeplechase, feature a first round and quarterfinal, with the top 24 finishers from the first round advancing to a quarterfinal round. From there, those in the top 12 advance to Eugene.

In throwing and horizontal jumps events, competitors will have three attempts to achieve their best mark, with the final 12 moving on to the national meet. In vertical jumps, the top 12 athletes advance to the national championships.

THE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 28
10 a.m.: Men’s Hammer Throw – Noa Isaia (Flight 3)
5:30 p.m.: Men’s Pole Vault – John Carswell and Bradley Jelmert (Flight 2)
6 p.m.: Men’s 110-meter Hurdles First Round – Colby Eddowes (Heat 1 of 6)

Thursday, May 29
5:30 p.m.: Women’s Pole Vault – Carly Pujol (Flight 1)
6 p.m.: Women’s Shot Put – Michelle Ogbemudia (Flight 3)

Friday, May 30
6:15 p.m.: Men’s 110-meter Hurdles Quarterfinals – Colby Eddowes (if advance)
8:10 p.m.: Men’s 5000 meters Semifinals – Jacob Pyeatt (Heat 2 of 2).

HOW THEY GOT HERE
John Carswell – Men’s Pole Vault
John Carswell is making his West Prelims debut this weekend, competing in the men’s pole vault. He earned his spot in College Station with a career-best vault of 5.28m (17-3.75) set at the Sun Belt Championships, placing fourth in the event. His mark enters the week ranking 36^th among the field of 48, and he has recorded back-to-back top-five finishes entering Wednesday.

Colby Eddowes – 110-meter Hurdles
Colby Eddowes has already secured his first career trip to the Outdoor Championships, doing so in the decathlon with a score of 7,681 points. However, the Canberra, Australia, native will compete in the 110-meter hurdles at prelims for the second consecutive season. The Sun Belt champion in the event boasts a season-best time of 13.45, which he ran in the prelims at the conference championships. His time in the event ranks 12^th in the field entering this week. By qualifying for nationals in the decathlon, Eddowes will be A-State’s first decathlete at the championships since 2008.

Noa Isaia – Men’s Hammer Throw
Sophomore Noa Isaia is making his first trip to prelims, opening up competition Wednesday morning in the hammer throw. The Sun Belt champion qualified for the regional round early in the outdoor campaign but continually improved his standing as the season progressed. He enters the week with a mark of 66.22m (217-3) achieved at the Alumni Classic on April 25, a mark that ranks 21^st among the 48 contestants in the event. Isaia is looking to become the second A-State thrower in the last three seasons to reach the outdoor championships in the hammer throw.

Bradley Jelmert – Men’s Pole Vault
For the fourth time in his career, Bradley Jelmert is competing at the West Prelims and is seeking his second trip to the outdoor championships and first since 2023. The 2025 Sun Belt champion boasts a season-best height of 5.55m (18-2.5), which he set at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays en route to winning the university elite section of the event, and has him tied for sixth in the region. Dating back to the start of the outdoor season, Jelmert has finished first in three of his four meets, with the lone outlier being a fourth-place result at the Mt. SAC Relays. If Jelmert advances, he will be the program’s first men’s pole vaulter with multiple trips to the outdoor championships since Brad Tyler in 2000 and 2001.

Michelle Ogbemudia – Women’s Shot Put
Sun Belt silver medalist Michelle Ogbemudia is making her third straight appearance in the women’s shot put at West Prelims, her second with Arkansas State. The Plano, Texas, native qualified for the regional round with a top throw of 16.40m (53-9.75) posted at the Jim Mize Invitational in April. She ranks 22^nd in Thursday’s field and will compete in Flight 3 of the event, earning three throws to try to place among the top 12. Should Ogbemudia advance to Eugene, she will give A-State a representative in the women’s shot put in back-to-back seasons.

Carly Pujol – Women’s Pole Vault
Carly Pujol is set to continue her record-breaking season Thursday in the women’s pole vault. The Cape Girardeau, Mo., native completed in the indoor/outdoor sweep in her event at the conference championships and broke her own school record with a mark of 4.31m (14-1.75). Her mark is tied for 22^nd among the 48 contestants in her event, and she is looking to become the first women’s pole vaulter to advance to the outdoor championships since Stephanie Foreman in 2013. Pujol has won five of her last seven competitions, with the other two being podium finishes.

Jacob Pyeatt – Men’s 5000 meters
A-State’s final competitor for the weekend is Jacob Pyeatt, who will run in the second heat of the 5000 meters semifinal under the starry Texas sky. The 2025 Sun Belt Outdoor Track Performer of the Year enters with a top time of 13:35.90, which he ran at the Raleigh Relays in March, and ranks 32^nd among Friday’s competitors – 16^th in his heat. The top five finishers in each heat automatically advance to Eugene, as well as the next two best times. Should he advance, he will be the first Red Wolf to reach the championships in the event.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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