JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Six University of South Alabama student-athletes competed in the opening day of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Round hosted by North Florida.
 
Senior Sean Collins led the Jaguars with a sixth-place effort in the pole vault. The Mobile, Ala., native cleared 5.31m (17-05.00) to qualify for his third consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championships, to be held June 5-8 in Austin, Texas.
 
MEET INFORMATION
Event: 2019 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round
Dates: May 23-25
Host: University of North Florida and Jacksonville Sports Council
Site: Hodges Stadium
Live Results 
 
NOTES
-Taylor Dames tied for 26th in the high jump—based on attempts—with a 1.70m (5-07.00) effort.
-Michaela Preachuk's 58.46m (191-09.50) mark on her second hammer throw was the 27th-longest in the field.  
-Hanna-Mai Vaikla finished 30th in the javelin with a 44.25m (145-02.00) effort on her third throw.
-Olivia Swan cleared 1.65m (5-05.00) and tied for 40th in the high jump; she ran the 400m hurdles in 1:06.00 to place 47th overall. 
-Autavia Fluker finished 45th in the hammer throw with a 53.49m (175-05.75) mark on her second attempt. 
-Seniors Dames, Preachuk and Swan competed in their final meet as Jaguars; each made multiple NCAA East Region Preliminary Round appearances during their USA careers. 
 
UP NEXT
The NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round continues Friday with the men's discus at 3 p.m. and the opening round of the men's 110m hurdles at 4 p.m. 
 
QUOTES FROM COACH BRUESKE
On Collins' third consecutive trip to nationals… "It's great. He had a tremendous performance at the Sun Belt Conference meet and it's sometimes hard to follow that up so soon after. Collins did what he had to do to advance to nationals and we're proud of him."
 
On the team's experience at regionals…"We had some great efforts. It's always tough when you come here and there's a lot of unbelievable competition. We're coming off of the conference meet and it's always going to be tough to advance to nationals. We've got a few student-athletes who are returning, so I think they can learn from their experiences. Just getting to this point is an accomplishment, so we're really proud of them as well."
 
On the seniors who closed their careers today…"Those girls are going to be tough losses for us. All three of them have been tremendous leaders. They're going to be sorely missed." 
 
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).
 
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