MOBILE, Ala. – Twelve University of South Alabama outdoor track & field student-athletes will compete in the NCAA Division I East Preliminaries in Tampa, Fla. Thursday through Saturday.  

Andrew Allen will open the competition in the men's hammer throw at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. The men's pole vault at noon will feature Sean Collins and Niel Giliomee. Hanna-Mai Vaikla will participate in the javelin throw at 3 p.m., followed by Emilie Berge, Taylor Dames and Olivia Swan in the high jump event at 4 p.m. Alex Elam and Rafael Scott will run the 100m dash preliminary at 5:30 Thursday evening. Autavia Fluker and Michaela Obijiaku close Thursday's competition at 7 p.m. with the shot put event. Michaela Preachuk will compete in the women's hammer throw Saturday at 10:30 a.m.  

MEET INFORMATION
Event: NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round
Dates: May 24-26
Host: South Florida 
Site: USF Track & Field Stadium
Meet Information
Live Results

FIELD
The field consists of qualifying student-athletes from the 214 schools in the NCAA Division I East Region. 

NOTES 
-Andrew Allen earned his first hammer throw victory this season with a 61.30m (201-01.25) mark at the Jaguar Classic. The throw was the fourth-longest in the Sun Belt this season and ranks third on the all-time USA performance list. 
-Sean Collins led the conference pole vault season rankings and returns to the NCAA Division I East Preliminaries after a 5.50m (18-00.50) effort at Auburn's Tiger Track Classic.  
-Niel Giliomee claimed the runner-up spot in the South Alabama record books and third in the league standings with a 5.40m (17-08.50) pole vault at the South Alabama Invitational. 
-Hanna-Mai Vaikla, who was named Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year on Tuesday, qualified for the javelin event with a 46.61m (152-11.00) mark at the conference championship meet. The throw was the longest in the league this season and the fifth-longest in the USA records. 
-Emilie Berge earned fifth place on the all-time Jaguar performance list with a 1.75m (5-07.25) high jump at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships. 
-Taylor Dames had a personal-best 1.79m (5-10.50) high jump at the Jaguar Classic to tie for second in school history and this season's Sun Belt standings. 
-Olivia Swan tied for second in the conference rankings and on the Jaguar performance list with 1.79m (5-10.50) high jump marks at the Jaguar Classic and Jaguar Invitational.  
-Alex Elam ranks second in the all-time USA record books with a 10.33-second 100m dash effort at the South Alabama Invitational.
-Rafael Scott ran the 100m dash in 10.25 seconds at the Tiger Track Classic to break his own school record and post one of the top three times in the conference this season. 
-Autavia Fluker claimed the runner-up spot in the Sun Belt season standings and the all-time USA rankings with a 15.38m (50-05.50) shot put throw at the conference championships. 
-Michaela Obijiaku posted a 15.35m (50-04.50) shot put effort at the league championships to earn third place in the season standings and the school record books. 
-Michaela Preachuk broke the USA hammer throw record twice this season and topped the Sun Belt performance list with a 61.58m (202-00.25) effort at the Mt. SAC Relays. 

QUOTES FROM COACH BRUESKE
On any differences for first-time qualifiers at the regional meet… "It really isn't different than any other meet. There will be more competitors there, but we've faced tough competition several times during the year. That's really the key; the circle is the same size, the track is the same size, the high jump bar heights will be the same. We just need to go out and do the best we can. If we do that, we'll be just fine."  

On multiple student-athletes receiving all-conference honors… "We have a lot of athletes that earned all-conference, particularly on the women's side, which you always want to see. The good thing is most of our all-conference people will be returning. We've got some younger athletes coming up who will hopefully do the same thing again next year. You're always really proud of all-conference performers and it's even better when most of them are returning. It gives you something to look forward to." 

On program recognition from competing nationally… "We already have one athlete who we anticipate being at nationals; Emilie has already made the cut. Any time you can get this many athletes to a NCAA championship meet, that's good exposure for our program and it helps move the recruiting end of things." 

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

Join the Finish Line Club, the track and field and cross country specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  All donations to the Finish Line Club go directly to support the South Alabama track and field/cross country programs.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/finishlineclub

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