MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama outdoor track and field program will send nine representatives to compete in the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., May 23-25. 

Qualifying student-athletes rank among the top 48 in the East Region in their respective events.

MEET INFORMATION
Event: 2019 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round
Date: May 23-25
Host: University of North Florida and Jacksonville Sports Council
Site: Hodges 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
-Thursday's field events will begin at 11 a.m. with the women's javelin throw. The women's high jump is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., followed by the women's hammer at 3 p.m. and men's pole vault at 3:30 p.m. The first round of the women's 400m hurdles will also be run at 3:30 p.m. (all times Central)
-The men's discus is set for 3 p.m. Friday, with the first round of the men's 110m hurdles to follow at 4 p.m. 
-USA will close its competition Saturday with the women's shot put at 4:15 p.m. and the men's triple jump at 5:30.
-Hanna-Mai Vaikla's 48.42m (158-10.00) javelin throw at the Southern Miss Invitational was the second-longest in Jaguar program history and qualified the sophomore for her second consecutive East Region Preliminary Round appearance. 
-Taylor Dames earned her third trip to the regionals round with a 1.74m (5-08.50) high jump at the South Alabama Invitational. She claimed third-team all-Sun Belt honors with a 1.73m (5-08.00) effort at her final conference meet.
-Olivia Swan earned first-team all-conference recognition and qualified for the 400m hurdles with a 59.67-second effort at the league championship that was the fastest in the Sun Belt this season. The senior will also compete in the high jump for the second year after clearing 1.78m (5-10.00) at Samford's Alabama Track Challenge. 
-Michaela Preachuk broke her own USA hammer throw record with a 61.59m (202-00.75) mark at the Texas Relays, an effort which ranks among the top 30 in the region. The senior is making her second preliminary round appearance after leading the conference standings and claiming back-to-back outdoor hammer throw titles.   
-Autavia Fluker was voted the Sun Belt Outdoor Women's Most Outstanding Field Performer after scoring 18 team points with a victory in the shot put and a runner-up finish in the hammer throw at the conference championships; she qualified for both events at regionals. The junior's 16.22m (53-02.75) shot put mark at the Triton Invitational was the best in USA program history, while her 60.56m (198-08.25) Florida Relays hammer throw effort ranks third on the all-time Jaguar performance list.
-Sean Collins won an unprecedented fourth consecutive Sun Belt outdoor pole vault title this season, clearing 5.53m (18-01.75) to break the conference record he set as a freshman in 2016. The senior has qualified for regionals all four years of his career; this will be his third time participating in the event, as he suffered a season-ending injury before the 2016 meet. He has advanced to nationals twice—finishing eighth in 2017 and tying for 11th in 2018—and earned all-America honors both times. 
-Jobi Finau recorded his best discus throw since 2016 at this year's Sun Belt championship, a 51.13m (167-08.75) toss which earned the senior his first trip to the East Region Preliminary Round.
-Hunter Appling claimed first-team all-conference honors and set a new USA 110m hurdles record with a 14.04-second time at the league championship. The freshman enters regionals seeded 36th. 
-Christian Ellis lists among the top 20 in the triple jump with a 15.75m (51-08.25) mark from the Florida Relays. The effort shattered the previous USA triple jump mark of 15.53m (50-11.75) set in 1984 by Kelvin Sykes. The Jaguar newcomer took home first-team all-Sun Belt recognition with a victory at the conference championship. 
-Two eligible Jaguars will not participate in the NCAA East Preliminary Round. Junior Emilie Berge was eligible for the high jump, but automatically qualified for nationals in the heptathlon and will compete in Austin, Texas, June 5-8. Thomas Boyd will not travel to Jacksonville due to a scheduling conflict with medical school. 

QUOTES FROM COACH BRUESKE
On experience for student-athletes and exposure for the program in a national competition: "We try during the season to get our top athletes in bigger meets—the Texas and Florida Relays, Triton Invitational, and Auburn's meets—to prepare them for this type of atmosphere. These guys have already seen top competition, so they shouldn't be overwhelmed with it. It's going to be a big meet. There are going to be a lot of competitors. That's really the difference—there are 48 competitors in all of the events. Our athletes have faced elite-level competition all year, and that shouldn't faze them. If anything, I think that this atmosphere will bring out the best in them and hopefully lead them to personal-best performances." 

On the leadership shown by the student-athletes this season: "These student-athletes are our team leaders. They've worked extremely hard and it's great to see the dedication and commitment over a period of, in some cases, many years pay off. It's great to see them get the opportunity to advance." 

On the impact of newcomers: "I'm really excited about the future of our men's program. We've been down a little bit the past couple of years. This year, between indoor and outdoor, we had five newcomers receive individual all-conference honors in six events. That's a lot for newcomers; they've made an immediate impact. Once we get all of our distance runners back and healthy, I think we're going to have a very strong men's team in the next few years." 

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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