Colorado State University Athletics
Meet Notes: NCAA West Preliminary Round
5/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
By Nate Lake
Athletics Communications
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22 CSU ATHLETES HEAD TO LAWRENCE, KAN., TO COMPETE FOR BERTHS AT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MEET
The dust has settled following Colorado State's third straight women's track & field conference title, but for 22 CSU athletes, the 2016 outdoor season continues Thursday in Lawrence, Kan., at the West Preliminary Round of the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Seven CSU men and 15 CSU women will don the green and gold this weekend at the University of Kansas' Rock Chalk Park to attempt qualification for the NCAA Championships in June. Athletes ranked 48th and higher in the NCAA West region for each event were invited to compete in Lawrence for advancement to the final round of postseason competition.
Colorado State will be well represented in the throws events, with nine throwers performing in Kansas. The men's shot put is CSU's busiest event, with Mostafa Hassan, Tyler Schultz and Daniel Weirich all vying for NCAA championship berths.
Schultz will also compete in the men's hammer throw, as he was one of four Rams to qualify in multiple events. He joins Aaliyah Pete (women's shot put and discus), Leah Fair (100-meter and 200-meter dashes) and Sam Little (110-meter and 400-meter hurdles) as the only Rams to achieve a top-48 regional ranking in multiple events during the regular season.
Hassan enters as the highest-ranked Ram in any event, as he is currently fourth in the NCAA West region for the shot put with his conference title-winning, school record mark of 65 feet, 2.75 inches at the 2016 MW outdoor championships. Mostafa will face off against NCAA shot put leader Nicholas Scarvelis of UCLA, whose throw of 67-7.5 currently leads the nation by 9.5 inches.
JT Van Veen enters the preliminary round ranked ninth in the region for the men's discus throw after improving on his personal record by over nine feet at the MW championships to win a conference title for the second time in his career.
On the women's side, senior Karly Reimel is Colorado State's highest regionally ranked competitor with a 21st-place ranking in the pole vault at 13-6.25. She heads to Lawrence on the heels of her first conference title in the pole vault after transferring to CSU from Florida State for her final season.
Schultz will start things off for Colorado State, entering the ring at approximately 11 a.m. MT Thursday as the men's hammer throw is the first event on the schedule. Live streaming of the NCAA West Preliminary Round will be available through the University of Kansas' official athletics website, KUAthletics.com, beginning just before 4 p.m. MT on Thursday and continuing throughout the weekend. Athletes finishing in the top 12 of their events will advance to compete for national titles in Eugene, Ore., at the famed TrackTown USA complex from June 8-11.
BEDARD WINS FIFTH COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD
After the CSU women won their third straight overall conference title on May 14, head coach Brian Bedard was named MW Women's Outdoor Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. He has won four of the last six possible Mountain West Coach of the Year awards, coinciding with CSU's four MW track & field titles in 2015 and 2016.
UP NEXT...
Qualifying CSU athletes will travel to Eugene, Ore., for the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships from June 8-11.