Track Heads to Jacksonville for First Round of NCAA Meet

Thursday, May 26

Jacksonville, Fla.

TBA

Indiana University

NCAA East Regional

Track Heads to Jacksonville for First Round of NCAA Meet

5/25/2016 11:35:00 AM | Track and Field

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana Track and Field will send 31 student-athletes to Jacksonville, Fla. this weekend to compete in the First Round of the NCAA Meet. In order to qualify for this meet the athlete must have finished inside the top 48 in their respective event in the eastern region. Only the top 12 finishers in each event will advance to the NCAA Finals.

The 31 athletes competing this weekend is the second highest total the Hoosiers have had since the NCAA adopted the First Round format in 2010. The only group that was larger was the 2012 team that won the Big Ten championship. Thirty-one also almost doubles the number of Hoosiers that competed in the meet last season.

Sydney Clute is coming off of a historic weekend in Lincoln, Neb. at the Big Ten Championships. In three consecutive jumps she broke the Ed Weir facility record, the Big Ten Championships record, and the school record in the pole vault. She captured her second straight gold medal at the Championships with a jump of 4.42m (14ft 6in). Clute will be seeded sixth in the event. Sophie Gutermuth will join her teammate as the eighth seed. She tied for fourth at the Big Ten Meet.

Laura Schroeder earned gold at the Big Ten Championships in the hammer throw with a mark of 64.99m (213ft 3in). She will be seeded third in the event. Nakel McClinton, the current school record holder with a mark of 65.12m (213ft 8in), will be seeded second in the event. McClinton was the runner-up in the event at Nebraska. She will also be seeded 19^th in the discus.

Daniel Kuhn was the Big Ten runner-up in the 800m run. Kuhn currently holds the school's indoor 600m and 800m records and is second in school history in the outdoor 800m run. He will be seeded sixth this weekend.

Brianna Johnson, who finished third at the Big Ten Championships, will be seeded 17^th in the steeplechase. Her time of 10:13.21 is the fourth fastest time in school history. On the men's side Jason Crist is 22^nd, Josh Roche is 26^th and Eric Claxton is 34^th.

Seven Hoosiers will compete in the middle distance events this weekend. In the 1,500m run Brenna Calder is seeded 20^th, Katherine Receveur is 46^th, and Olivia Hippensteel is 47^th. In the 800m run Kellie Davis is seeded 42^nd and Kendell Wiles is 43^rd. Rorey Hunter, seeded 26^th, and Owen Skeete, seeded 43^rd, will represent the men's side in the 1,500m run.

Willie Morrison ranks seventh in the men's shot put. He finished fourth at the Big Ten Championships with a career best throw of 19.25m (62ft 2in), which is also the second best mark in school history. David Schall is seeded 22^nd in the shot. Andrew Miller will be seeded 36^th in the men's hammer throw and Dyrek Chowning sits at 43^rd in the discus.

Diquis Manley soared up the rankings after a great showing at the Big Ten Championships. He is now seeded 20^th and holds the eighth fastest time in school history in the 400m hurdles. His teammate, Zach Reitzug, is 27^th and holds the number ten fastest time in the event. Manley and Reitzug will pair up with Kuhn and Markevious Roach to form the 20^th ranked 4x400m relay team. Treyton Harris will be the team's alternate. Cornelius Strickland will be the 36^th ranked 100m dash sprinter.

Paul Galas moved into the 34^th spot in the men's high jump rankings. Ari Nelson made the women's long jump cut by ending the season ranked 47^th.

All of the action will begin tomorrow with several of the preliminary running events. Live stats can be followed here or via the IU Track and Field Twitter page.