Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
NCAA West Preliminary
Recap: Rams' Holston, Pete, Rockhold earn berths to NCAA Championships
5/27/2017 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Final Results: PDF | HTML
AUSTIN, Texas - On the final day of the 2017 NCAA West Preliminary, each of Lorenda Holston, Aaliyah Pete and Cole Rockhold from the Colorado State track & field team qualified for the NCAA Championships.
Over the course of the NCAA West Preliminary, 10 Rams advanced to the NCAA Championships, which are held from June 7-10 in Eugene, Ore. Along today's trio, each of Josh Cogdill (decathlon), Grant Fischer (10,000 meters), Mostafa Hassan (shot out), Linnea Jonsson (hammer), Janelle Lincks (3,000-meter steeplechase), Jerrell Mock (10,000 meters) and Hunter Price (decathlon) have advanced to the NCAA Championships.
Holston was the first of the Rams to qualify on Saturday, placing fourth in the fastest heat of the day, heat three. Holston finished with a time of 13.05 (wind aid of 4.5), the ninth-best time of the 24 quarterfinalists on Saturday.
Pete also finished ninth on Saturday, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the shot put. The senior threw the shot put 53-11.75 (16.45m) on her second attempt, her top attempt of the day, to get her ticket punched to Eugene.
To qualify for the NCAA Championships in the 5,000 meters, athletes at the NCAA West Preliminary needed to place in the top five in their heat or have one of the two fastest times remaining. Rockhold advanced to the NCAA Championships in the 5,000 meters with a fourth-place finish in the second heat of the night. Rockhold finished the race in 14:34.57. Jefferson Abbey finished his record-breaking outdoor season with an eighth-place finish in that heat (17th place overall) and a time of 14:37.61.
Macy Kreutz placed 13th overall in the 1,500 meters, running a time of 4:28.85 in a fast second heat. Freshman Trenton Wallace placed 16th in the high jump, clearing 6-10.75 (2.10m). Wallace missed only one jump across three previous heights before he was unable to clear 7-0.5 (2.15m).
IN THEIR WORDS
Colorado State head coach Brian Bedard "Aaliyah (Pete) had one of the longest throws that I've ever seen from her in warm-ups - I believe it was probably about 58 feet. The competition was tough, but she stayed composed, stayed coachable and did what she need to do to advance. It's never easy."
Colorado State distance coach Art Siemers On Cole Rockhold:
"We figured today could be a kicker's race, especially in this heat, which is one reason why we decided to run Cole in the 5,000 instead of the 1,500. Having that 1,500 speed at the end goes a long way. It was a tough weekend in terms of conditions and heat, so now we just have to regroup to finish strong in the finals."
On Jefferson Abbey:
"It's sad that he came up just short, but he had such a great career and helped transform our distance program into what it is now. That says a lot about him as a person and as a leader."
Colorado State sprints and hurdles coach Karim Abdel Wahab
"The plan for Lorenda (Holston) today was to be aggressive. I was so happy to see her fight the whole way, never giving up. It was a hard race - getting fourth with a 13.05 tells you what kind of heat it was. We were confident she had a very good chance of advancing and she did."
NOTES
- Each of Lorenda Holston, Aaliyah Pete and Cole Rockhold advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the first times in their respective careers. All three were All-Americans this indoor season.
- Macy Kreutz's time in the 1,500 meters was faster than that of three qualifiers. Predetermined rules required athletes to finish in the top five of their respective heats of have one of the two fastest remaining times.
UP NEXT
The Colorado State track & field team's 10 NCAA finalists compete in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships from June 7-10 in Eugene, Ore. The four-day meet is held from Hayward Field.
Players Mentioned
