JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Renaldo Frechou qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship on Thursday, highlighting the performances of six University of South Alabama individuals on the first day of the NCAA East Region Preliminaries at Hodges Stadium.

Frechou posted a 66.35m mark on his initial attempt — just .02m shy of matching his best effort this season — in the men's hammer throw, placing 10th in the final standings after entering the competition as the 16th seed.  With a finish among the top 12, it marks the third straight season that the senior has advanced to the national meet; he has earned first-team All-America honors each of the last two years after placing among the top eight at the championship.

This spring's NCAA Outdoor Championship will take place June 8-11 in Eugene, Ore.

"Renaldo has struggled during the season to find his rhythm, but I thought he did real well at {the Sun Belt] conference [championship]," Jaguar head coach Paul Brueske said.  "It seems like he's coming on, he is physically ready.  He did what he had to do today to advance, I think he has a lot left in him; hopefully his best will come at nationals.  I was real proud of his effort."

Zach Blahnik also finished higher than his seed in the hammer throw, coming in 34th place in the final standings with a mark of 60.59m.  The junior — who entered the competition ranked 37th — also recorded his furthest toss on his first try of the day.

Niel Giliomee tied for 28th place in the men's pole vault after clearing 5.00m while in the men's 100-meter dash, Rafael Scott posted a time of 10.77 seconds in the first round of qualifying and was 43rd in the overall standings.  Barbara Rivera placed 46th in the women's javelin with a 36.29m throw, while Christoph Graf crossed the line in the men's 1,500 meters in 4:13.13 to finish 47th overall.

Action at the NCAA East Region Preliminaries will continue on Friday, with eight Jags slated to compete in events throughout the day.

"Christoph has been battling illness all week, that didn't help him, and Raphael stumbled out of the starting blocks," said Brueske.  "Niel actually cleared the next height but just nicked the bar, he was a little off.  I hope we come back tomorrow and the guys go out there and compete the way they are capable of.  We have some people who have a chance to advance to the NCAAs, hopefully they will take advantage of that opportunity."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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