FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A trio of Aztecs extended their individual seasons, advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA West Preliminary Championships on Thursday afternoon. Shaquena Foote advanced in the 400m, Charlize James in the 100m hurdles, and Jessica Kain in the 1,500m run.
Shaquena Foote had an unbelievable run in Thursday's opening round, running a 51.35 in the 400m dash. A personal best for the redshirt sophomore, the time ranks third fastest in program history and fastest since the 2004 season. She finished second in heat number six for the automatic qualifying spot with her time ranking sixth fastest in the field.
Charlize James crossed the line in 13.21 seconds (+1.3 wind) for a third-place finish in heat number five to claim her automatic qualifying spot. The time was 16th overall in the field and goes as her second fastest time this season.
Jessica Kain will run again on Saturday after posting a 4:19.63 in the first round of the 1,500m run. Her time was good for a third-place finish in heat two to earn an automatic qualifying spot, and ranked 12th fastest in the field.
This will be the second consecutive NCAA quarterfinal appearance for all three Aztecs, who qualified for these same races at last year's West Preliminary Championships.
Hannah Waller just missed punching her ticket to Oregon, finishing 16th in long jump. She had a wind-aided mark of 6.52m (21-4.75) on her first attempt that held as her best of the day. Also in the field, Jordan Leveque finished 36th in pole vault clearing the bar at 3.95m (12-11.5).
Back on the track, Jada Moore finished 31st in both the 100m and 200m dashes with wind-aided times of 11.33 (+3.3) and 23.27 (+2.4) respectively. Similarly, Aji Mbye finished 33rd in the 200m (23.30; +3.0 wind) and 46th in the 100m (11.56; +3.1 wind). Rhea Hoyte finished 33rd in the 400m hurdles with a time of 59.75 while Jada Pierre was 44th in the 100m hurdles. In the mid-distances, Alex Lomeli wound up 36th in the 800m at 2:09.20.
San Diego State will have seven entries on Saturday as they look to add to their roster of NCAA Championship qualifiers. The top 12 marks/times of each event will punch their ticket to Eugene, Ore. and compete in the national meet at Hayward Field. The first event featuring the Scarlet and Black will be the 4x100m relay at 3 p.m. PT (5 p.m. CT) and wrap up with the 4x400m relay at 6:45 p.m. PT (8:45 p.m. CT). All the track events will be broadcasted live on ESPN+.
NCAA West Preliminary Championships Results (SDSU and winners only)
100m Dash
1. Rosemary Chukwuma (Texas Tech) – 10.86
31. Jada Moore – 11.33 (+3.3 wind-aided)
46. Aji Mbye – 11.56 (+3.1 wind-aided)
Hannah Waller – DNF
200m Dash
1. Jassani Carter (USC) – 22.45
31. Jada Moore – 23.27 (+2.3 wind-aided)
33. Aji Mbye – 23.30 (+3.0 wind-aided)
400m Dash
1. Amber Anning (Arkansas) – 50.23
6. Shaquena Foote – 51.35 (3rd all-time, qualified for Saturday's quarterfinal)
800m Run
1. Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) – 2:02.43
36. Alex Lomeli – 2:09.20
1,500m Run
1. Mia Barnett (Oregon) – 4:13.10
12. Jessica Kain – 4:19.63 (qualified for Saturday's quarterfinal)
100m Hurdles
1. Maribel Caicedo (Washington State) – 12.49
16. Charlize James – 13.21 (qualified for Saturday's quarterfinal)
44. Jada Pierre – 15.01
400m Hurdles
1. Rachel Glenn (Arkansas) – 55.65
33. Rhea Hoyte – 59.75
Pole Vault
1. Rebekah Erkson (BYU) – 14' 1.25
1. Olivia Leuking (Oklahoma) – 14' 1.25
1. Molly Haywood (Baylor) – 14' 1.25
36. Jordan Leveque – 12' 11.5
Long Jump
1. Ackelia Smith (Texas) – 22' 6.25
16. Hannah Waller – 21' 4.75 (+2.3 wind-aided)
Three Aztecs Qualify for NCAA Quarterfinals
