SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Thunderbird track and field teams opened competition at NCAA West Prelims on Thursday, with several T-Birds advancing and others putting on solid performances.
One of those performances was put on by Aidan Reed, who finished 14th in the field in the men's 10,000-meter despite being ranked 47th in the field coming into the competition. Even though he missed out on the National Championship by just two sports, Reed ran a new personal best of 29:13.63.
Sharlie Dimick was able to advance to the quarterfinals of the women's 1,500-meter with a fourth place finish in her heat. She ran a 4:18.40 for the Thunderbirds and will have a chance to advance to the National Championships on Saturday. She had the 10th fastest time in the first round of competition.
In the men's section of the 1,500-meter, Kasey Knevelbaard ran the second-fastest time in the field with a 3:44.52 to advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday. Knevelbaard is hoping to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championship for the first time of his career, while he's been to the Indoor National Championships twice during his time at Southern Utah.
Linnea Saltz advanced to the quarterfinals in the women's 800-meter, finishing 29th in the field with a time of 2:08.47. She automatically advanced with a top-three finish in her heat, and will run for a spot at Nationals on Friday evening.
George Espino was also able to move on in the 800-meter on the men's side, running a 1:49.83 which was the 14th fastest time on the evening. The senior is seeking his first trip to the National Championship, and will have the chance on Friday.
Thunderbird senior Justin Lewis saw his SUU career come to a close on Thursday evening, finishing 39th in the 400-meter with a 47.75. Over the course of his career Lewis racked up nine all-conference honors from the Big Sky, four gold medals at league championships, currently holds four school records and recently helped claim SUU's first outdoor team title.
Alexis McAllister saw her sophomore campaign come to a close on Thursday, as she finished 30th in the women's javelin with a mark of 143' 8". McAllister's future looks bright with the T-Birds, however, as she broke the school record in the same event this season with a throw of 157' 9".
Emma Nwachukwu wrapped up her sophomore season as well, competing in the women's hammer throw and finishing 42nd at the meet. She hit the mark of 178' 7" in Sacramento. Nwachukwu was the runner-up at the Big Sky Championships with a personal best of 193' 6".
Angie Nickerson was unable to finish the women's 10,000-meter after losing a shoe during the race. She will have another opportunity to qualify for the National Championships in Austin on Saturday in the 5,000-meter.
Devon Montgomery also wasn't able to advance to the quarterfinals of the men's 400-meter hurdles, but will have another opportunity to compete for SUU on Friday in the 110-meter hurdles.
Competition will continue on Friday and through to Saturday.
The meet in Sacramento is being ran at Hornet Stadium for the second season in a row. It is being streamed on FloTrack for a fee. A link to live results is available on www.suutbirds.com.
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Head to www.suutbirds.com for all Thunderbird athletics news.
