Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
NCAA West Preliminary
Track & field recap: Pete advances to NCAA championships
5/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
AUSTIN, Texas -- Battling through another day of lightning delays at the NCAA West Preliminary at Mike A. Myers Stadium, the Colorado State track & field squad saw one more athlete reach the NCAA Track & Field Championships: Aaliyah Pete.
Pete advanced to the championship round in her strongest event, the shot put, grabbing the 12th and final spot on her last attempt. The sophomore posted a best throw of 51 feet, 10.5 inches, edging out the next competitor by 1.5 inches for a chance at nationals.
Head coach Brian Bedard felt the team gained valuable experience at this year's preliminary. "The Rams competed hard," commented head coach Brian Bedard. "Some of our younger athletes got a little overwhelmed at times. It's a very difficult meet. Great competition, (weather) delays, hot, humid and high pressure. It's mental battle that our team learned from."
Teammates Kiah Hicks and Monet Jackson also participated in the shot put, finishing 32nd and 46th, respectively. Hicks fouled on her first two attempts, but improved seven spots from her 39-seed on her final throw with a toss of 48-4. Jackson reached her best distance of the day on her first attempt, throwing 43-3.25.
A former walk-on turned Mountain West champion, Jessi Macedo missed the finals by less than one meter in the javelin, launching a best throw of 150-2 on her third attempt. She placed 18th in the field.
On the track, Rams' sophomore Jefferson Abbey kept pace among the top five runners in his heat of the 5,000-meter run, but got tripped up and fell behind during the bell lap, taking 10th. He ran a time of 14:19.61, placing 20th overall.
The Rams relay team of Lettia Wilson, Abby Simpson, Leah Fair and Lorenda Holston clocked 45.13 in the 4x100-meter relay, capturing 18th.
Cheyenne Hall opened the final day of preliminary competition in the triple jump, placing 26th with leap of 40-8.75. On the men's side, Jonathan Edmunds duplicated his best effort from his second attempt to his third in the triple jump, leaping a distance of 48-3.5 twice. He took 38th.
Lorenda Holston, who advanced to today's quarterfinal with a personal best in the 100-meter hurdles yesterday, ran in the fastest heat Saturday, crossing the finish line in 13.88. The first-year hurdler placed 23rd overall.
Hicks (hammer and discus) and now Pete (shot put) have moved on to the NCAA Track & Field Championships to be hosted at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Competition takes place June 10-13, and portions will be broadcast live on the networks of ESPN.
