SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga men's and women's track will send a combined eight student-athletes, three men and five women, to race at the 2024 NCAA West Preliminary Round in Fayetteville, Ark., May 22-25. The NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field and Cross Country Committee announced the West Region and East Region Preliminary Round participants Thursday morning. The total of eight qualifiers is the second-highest in program history, one shy of the top mark set last season.
For each individual event contested at each of the Preliminary Round sites, the top 48 declared student-athletes will be accepted into the competition, with the top 12 in each advancing to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 5-8. University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., will host the East Preliminary and University of Arkansas, in Fayetteville, Ark., will host the West Preliminary.
This season, five Bulldogs secured repeat qualifying marks to the NCAA West Prelims, led by
Kristen Garcia's (10,000m) fourth straight appearance.
Alicia Anderson (1500m) and
Cooper Laird (Steeplechase) are each making their third consecutive appearance, while
Rosina Machu and
Wil Smith will return for their second straight NCAA West Prelims, doubling down in both the 5K and 10K races next week.
Bryce Cerkowniak will also compete in the 5K and 10K as he qualifies for the first time in his collegiate career. Newcomers
Willow Collins (5000m) and
Jessica Frydenlund (Steeplechase) also earned qualifying marks in their first season with Gonzaga.
Last year, the Zags qualified a program-best nine athletes to the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in Sacramento, Calif., but were only able to secure one berth to the Outdoor Track & Field Championships in
James Mwaura, despite posting numerous personal and program records in the Prelims. Mwaura would go on to secure his third straight All-American nod in the 10K before picking up his second 5K All-American finish at the NCAA Championships to conclude his legendary career at Gonzaga.
THE ROAD TO NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Student-athletes with the top 12 times or marks and the best 12 relay teams at both the East and West Preliminary Rounds sites will qualify for the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships held June 5-8 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. It will be the 18th time the outdoor championships have been held in Eugene and the ninth time in the last 13 years.
In the 5,000m race, the field of 48 is split into two heats of 24 runners each. The top five from each will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, as well as the top two times from those not within a top five within a heat. In the 10,000m, all runners compete at once with the top 12 finishers moving on. In the 3,000m Steeplechase, the competition is split into three heats of 16 runners, with the top three from each heat and the top three times from those not within a top three within a heat advancing to the NCAA Championships.
The first round of the 1500m at the NCAA West Prelims is broken into four heats, each with 12 runners. The top five from each heat will advance to the Quarterfinals, as well as the top four times from those who are not inside a top five within a heat. From there, the top five from each Quarterfinal will advance to the NCAA Championships, as well as the top two times from those not within a top five within a heat.
