2024 NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY ROUNDS | JOHN MCDONNELL FIELD | FAYETTEVILLE
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 | LIVE STREAM | LIVE RESULTS
7:10pm PST – Men's 10,000m Semifinals
Bryce Cerkowniak, Wil Smith
 
THURSDAY, MAY 23 | LIVE STREAM | LIVE RESULTS
4:30pm PST – Women's 1500m First Round
Alicia Anderson
7:10pm PST – Women's 10,000m Semifinals
Kristen Garcia, Rosina Machu
 
FRIDAY, MAY 24 | LIVE STREAM | LIVE RESULTS
3:40pm PST – Men's 3000m Steeplechase Quarterfinals
Cooper Laird
6:10pm – PST Men's 5000m Semifinals
Bryce Cerkowniak, Wil Smith
 
SATURDAY, MAY 25 | LIVE STREAM | LIVE RESULTS
3:15pm – PST Women's 1500m Quarterfinals
Alicia Anderson*
3:40pm – PST Women's 3000m Steeplechase Quarterfinals
Jessica Frydenlund
6:10pm – PST Women's 5000m Semifinals
Willow Collins, Rosina Machu
 
*If runner advances to the Quarterfinal round
 
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Gonzaga men's and women's track will gear up for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds of the 2024 Outdoor Track & Field Championships this week (May 22-25) at John McDonnell Field on the University of Arkansas campus. 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.