FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The first day of men's competition at the NCAA West Preliminary Round on the campus of the University of Arkansas is in the books and Arizona saw two field athletes –
Jared O'Riley (Javelin) and
Reinaldo Rodrigues (Long Jump) – punch their ticket to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore.
To advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, an athlete or relay must finish in the top 12 at the West Prelims. Wednesday was the first day of competition for the men's athletes while the women's athletes will get underway on Thursday.
Day One Highlights
Jared O'Riley's second attempt in the javelin that put him in position to move on, registering a throw of 67.93m (222'10") to set a new personal best, and earn the 10th spot. The sophomore from Ontario, Canada is one of three Pac-12 athletes to advance in the event.
For
Reinaldo Rodrigues, it was also his second attempt in the long jump that earned the freshman from Brazil a spot at nationals, as he jumped a distance of 7.73m (25'4 ½"), just 0.02m shy of matching his personal best, to earn the 10th qualifying spot.
Sophomore
Zach Landa (Mesa, Ariz.) logged a new PR in the shot put, with a toss of 18.12m (59'-5 ½") but did not earn one of the 12 qualifying spots. It marks the sixth consecutive outing that Landa has increased his PR to close his season.
Looking Ahead to Day Two
The women's athletes will have their first day of events on Friday, starting with the hammer throw at 8:00 a.m. (Pacific). Then the running events along with more field events resume at 4:00 p.m. (Pacific) with a live stream available on WatchESPN and the ESPN App.
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