TEMPE – Arizona State's track and field program will be well-represented at this year's NCAA West Preliminary Rounds with 14 Sun Devils receiving bids to the meet, including Magdalyn Ewen and Samantha Noennig, who both earned spots in multiple events.
Leading the way for ASU is Ewen with her three NCAA-leading marks in the shot put, hammer throw and discus. She advanced to last year's NCAA Championships in all three and went on to win the hammer throw title and take first-team All-America honors in the other two events.
Noennig is heading to her first Regional event in her first season of competition. She enters the meet with the sixth-best throw in the shot put, and is seeking her first trip to an NCAA Championship as she nearly missed out on a place at the Indoor Championships earlier this year. Noennig will also throw the discus at the Regional with Ewen.
Joining Ewen in the hammer will be Kaylee Antill. Her big personal best from earlier this season has her in the top-20 in the region in the event.
On the track, the women of ASU will have Alethia Marrero and Bianca Tinoco entered in the 800-meter run, Alexis Nichols in the 1,500, Samantha Ortega in the 10K and Shaunie Morrison in the 100-meter hurdles.
Marrero is coming off one of the greatest runs in school history at the Pac-12 Championships. She finished second in 800-meter final in 2:03.08, the second-fastest time in history only behind ASU-great and American champion Shelby Houlihan.
Tinoco also ran herself into the record book twice in 2018. After she jumped into the indoor list in the 800, Tinoco put herself at No. 10 in the outdoor version of the event.
Nichols and Morrison have something to prove as they head into the regional after coming up just short in the prelims of their respective events at the Pac-12 Championships. Nichols was just over a second off a qualifying place in the 1,500, and Morrison missed out on a second-consecutive Pac-12 final.
Samantha Ortega represents the Sun Devils in the longest event on the track as she'll lace up for the 10,000-meter run semifinal. The top-12 finishers in that event automatically advance to the NCAA final in Eugene.
Do-it-all Sun Devil Jessica Barreira's personal best leap of 6.25m/20-6.25 feet secured her a place in the long jump prelim before the regular season came to a close. She went on to score at the Pac-12 Championships in two of her three events, including the long jump and javelin throw, and just missed out on a point in the triple jump.
As for the ASU men, it's the field events that dominate the Sun Devil declarations with four of the five entries specializing in jumps.
The headliners are the two pole vaulters: true freshman Cole Riddle and senior Nathan Hiett.
Riddle's first year in maroon and gold has been as advertised, complete with two of the top-10 marks in school history indoors and outdoors, and a third-and fourth-place finish at the indoor and outdoor conference championships.
Hiett's final season has been just as impressive. The senior also put his name on the top-10 list in both seasons, scored at the MPSF Championships and finished second at the Pac-12 Championships this past weekend to make the podium for the first time in his career.
Both men head into the regional with season-best jumps in the top-15 among active entrants.
The high-jumping duo of Elijah Hughes and Mason Ford will also make the trip to Sacramento, looking to extend their season.
Hughes' clearance of 2.13m/6-11.75 put him comfortably through to the penultimate meet, but Ford was on the bubble despite clearing 2.10/6-10.75 earlier in the season. Ford and Hughes both managed to score at the Pac-12 Championships, but in two different events. Ford grabbed sixth in the long jump while Hughes finished in the same spot in the high jump.
Representing the Sun Devils on the track will be senior Khalil Parris who clocked a 51.03 last month to not only secure him a place in the Regional meet, but also put his name in the ASU record book at No. 7 all-time.
Although just those 14 individuals will head to Sacramento, the Devils had women's 4x100-and 4x400-meter relay teams in qualifying position, and Marrero was comfortably seeded in the 400-meter dash before the events were scratched.
The Devils head to Californian capital next week for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds that are scheduled to begin Thursday and run through Saturday at Hornet Stadium.
ASU Regional Entrants and Marks:
Kaylee Antill – Hammer Throw – 63.01m/206-9
Jessica Barreira – Long Jump – 6.25m/20-6.25
Maggie Ewen – Hammer Throw – 74.53m/244-6
Maggie Ewen – Shot Put – 19.46m/63-10.25
Maggie Ewen – Discus Throw – 61.27m/201-0
Mason Ford – High Jump – 2.10m/6-10.75
Nathan Hiett – Pole Vault – 5.25m/17-2.75
Elijah Hughes – High Jump – 2.13m/6-11/75
Alethia Marrero – 800 Meters – 2:03.08
Shaunie Morrison – 100-Meter Hurdles – 13.37
Alexis Nichols – 1,500 Meters – 4:24.25
Samantha Noennig – Shot Put – 17.31m/56-9.5
Samantha Noennig – Discus Throw – 52.01m/170-8
Khalil Parris – 400-Meter Hurdles – 51.03
Samantha Ortega – 10,000 Meters – 34:38.39
Cole Riddle – Pole Vault – 5.35m/17-6.5
Bianca Tinoco – 800 Meters – 2:08.14
Leading the way for ASU is Ewen with her three NCAA-leading marks in the shot put, hammer throw and discus. She advanced to last year's NCAA Championships in all three and went on to win the hammer throw title and take first-team All-America honors in the other two events.
Noennig is heading to her first Regional event in her first season of competition. She enters the meet with the sixth-best throw in the shot put, and is seeking her first trip to an NCAA Championship as she nearly missed out on a place at the Indoor Championships earlier this year. Noennig will also throw the discus at the Regional with Ewen.
Joining Ewen in the hammer will be Kaylee Antill. Her big personal best from earlier this season has her in the top-20 in the region in the event.
On the track, the women of ASU will have Alethia Marrero and Bianca Tinoco entered in the 800-meter run, Alexis Nichols in the 1,500, Samantha Ortega in the 10K and Shaunie Morrison in the 100-meter hurdles.
Marrero is coming off one of the greatest runs in school history at the Pac-12 Championships. She finished second in 800-meter final in 2:03.08, the second-fastest time in history only behind ASU-great and American champion Shelby Houlihan.
Tinoco also ran herself into the record book twice in 2018. After she jumped into the indoor list in the 800, Tinoco put herself at No. 10 in the outdoor version of the event.
Nichols and Morrison have something to prove as they head into the regional after coming up just short in the prelims of their respective events at the Pac-12 Championships. Nichols was just over a second off a qualifying place in the 1,500, and Morrison missed out on a second-consecutive Pac-12 final.
Samantha Ortega represents the Sun Devils in the longest event on the track as she'll lace up for the 10,000-meter run semifinal. The top-12 finishers in that event automatically advance to the NCAA final in Eugene.
Do-it-all Sun Devil Jessica Barreira's personal best leap of 6.25m/20-6.25 feet secured her a place in the long jump prelim before the regular season came to a close. She went on to score at the Pac-12 Championships in two of her three events, including the long jump and javelin throw, and just missed out on a point in the triple jump.
As for the ASU men, it's the field events that dominate the Sun Devil declarations with four of the five entries specializing in jumps.
The headliners are the two pole vaulters: true freshman Cole Riddle and senior Nathan Hiett.
Riddle's first year in maroon and gold has been as advertised, complete with two of the top-10 marks in school history indoors and outdoors, and a third-and fourth-place finish at the indoor and outdoor conference championships.
Hiett's final season has been just as impressive. The senior also put his name on the top-10 list in both seasons, scored at the MPSF Championships and finished second at the Pac-12 Championships this past weekend to make the podium for the first time in his career.
Both men head into the regional with season-best jumps in the top-15 among active entrants.
The high-jumping duo of Elijah Hughes and Mason Ford will also make the trip to Sacramento, looking to extend their season.
Hughes' clearance of 2.13m/6-11.75 put him comfortably through to the penultimate meet, but Ford was on the bubble despite clearing 2.10/6-10.75 earlier in the season. Ford and Hughes both managed to score at the Pac-12 Championships, but in two different events. Ford grabbed sixth in the long jump while Hughes finished in the same spot in the high jump.
Representing the Sun Devils on the track will be senior Khalil Parris who clocked a 51.03 last month to not only secure him a place in the Regional meet, but also put his name in the ASU record book at No. 7 all-time.
Although just those 14 individuals will head to Sacramento, the Devils had women's 4x100-and 4x400-meter relay teams in qualifying position, and Marrero was comfortably seeded in the 400-meter dash before the events were scratched.
The Devils head to Californian capital next week for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds that are scheduled to begin Thursday and run through Saturday at Hornet Stadium.
ASU Regional Entrants and Marks:
Kaylee Antill – Hammer Throw – 63.01m/206-9
Jessica Barreira – Long Jump – 6.25m/20-6.25
Maggie Ewen – Hammer Throw – 74.53m/244-6
Maggie Ewen – Shot Put – 19.46m/63-10.25
Maggie Ewen – Discus Throw – 61.27m/201-0
Mason Ford – High Jump – 2.10m/6-10.75
Nathan Hiett – Pole Vault – 5.25m/17-2.75
Elijah Hughes – High Jump – 2.13m/6-11/75
Alethia Marrero – 800 Meters – 2:03.08
Shaunie Morrison – 100-Meter Hurdles – 13.37
Alexis Nichols – 1,500 Meters – 4:24.25
Samantha Noennig – Shot Put – 17.31m/56-9.5
Samantha Noennig – Discus Throw – 52.01m/170-8
Khalil Parris – 400-Meter Hurdles – 51.03
Samantha Ortega – 10,000 Meters – 34:38.39
Cole Riddle – Pole Vault – 5.35m/17-6.5
Bianca Tinoco – 800 Meters – 2:08.14