MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's and women's outdoor track and field teams will send 45 student-athletes to Birmingham to compete in Samford's Alabama Track Classic Thursday and Friday, while junior Autavia Fluker and senior Michaela Preachuk will travel to California for UC San Diego's Triton Invitational Friday and Saturday. 

MEET INFORMATION
Event: 2019 Alabama Track Challenge
Date: April 11-12
Host: Samford 
Site: Birmingham CrossPlex
Live Results

FIELD (11)
Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham-Southern College, Miles College, Rust College, Samford, South Alabama, Stillman College, Talladega College, Tuskegee 

NOTES
-The decathlon and heptathlon events will begin at noon Thursday and 10 a.m. Friday. Friday's field schedule will start at noon with the women's hammer throw; running events are set for a 3:30 p.m. start with the women's 3,000m steeplechase.
-Emilie Berge set a new conference heptathlon standard with 5,718 points—the second-best points total in the nation this year—at the 92nd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. The junior's 1.79m (5-10.500) high jump at the South Alabama Invitational is tied for 13th on the NCAA performance list. She leads the league in both categories, is third in the long jump standings (5.96m, 19-06.75) and ranks fifth in the 100m hurdles (14.18 seconds).
-Christian Ellis broke a 35-year-old USA record after landing a 15.75m (51-08.25) triple jump at the Pepsi Florida Relays. The mark is the best in the Sun Belt, sixth in the NCAA East Region and the 12th-longest in the country this season.
-Senior Sean Collins holds the second-best pole vault mark in the conference and one of the top 25 marks in the NCAA after clearing 5.30m (17-04.50) at the Texas Relays. 
-Hanna-Mai Vaikla had a 48.42m (158-10.00) javelin throw at the Southern Miss Invitational. The mark tops the 2019 Sun Belt performance list and ties for second in Jaguar program history.
-Hunter Appling's 14.19-second 110m hurdles time at the Florida Relays is the fourth-fastest in both USA program history and this season's conference standings.
-Three Jaguars— Jessie Droogsma (discus), Angeline Smit (shot put) and Halee Thomas (javelin)—rank third in the Sun Belt in their respective events after performances at the South Alabama Invitational. Smit's 14.29m (46-10.75) mark is sixth on the all-time Jaguar shot put performance list, while Thomas had a 45.98m (150-10.00) throw to move to sixth in the USA records. 
-Thomas Boyd holds the second-longest hammer throw mark in the league this season, a 58.44m (191-08.75) effort at the Southern Miss Invitational that is among the top 10 in program history.

MEET INFORMATION
Event: 2019 Triton Invitational
Date: April 12-13
Host: UC San Diego
Site: Triton Track & Field Stadium
Live Results

FIELD
Includes: Arizona State, Arkansas State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Long Beach State, Michigan, South Alabama, UC San Diego, USC, Virginia Tech

NOTES
-The hammer invitational will be held Friday at 11:30 a.m. CDT. The shot put invitational is set for a 4 p.m. CDT start Saturday.
-Fluker climbed atop the Jaguar shot put performance list with a 16.12m (52-10.50) throw at the Jaguar Opener. The mark ranks 12th in the NCAA East Region and 25th in nation. The Bessemer, Ala., native recorded a 60.56m (198-08.25) hammer throw—one of the top 45 marks in the NCAA this year—at the Pepsi Florida Relays to move to third in the all-time USA records. 
-Preachuk broke her own school hammer throw record with a 61.59m (202-00.75) effort at the 92nd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. She holds one of the top 20 marks in the NCAA East Region and ranks 31st nationally in the event.  
-Both student-athletes lead the Sun Belt in their respective events. Fluker also ranks second in the conference hammer standings. 

QUOTES FROM COACH BRUESKE
On Samford's Alabama Track Challenge: "Samford will be good competition for us. It is an opportunity to gain some valuable reps in competition."

On the Triton Invitational: "This is one of the premier meets in the U.S. Preachuk and Fluker met a high standard we set to go to this competition. We look for this meet to bring out the best in them." 

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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