May 27, 2011
EUGENE, Ore. -
Brittany Smith qualified for the 2011 NCAA Championships in the hammer throw with a mark of 191-01 Friday during the second day of competition at the NCAA West Region Preliminary Round in Eugene, Ore. Smith finished 10th in the competition.
"Brittany had a tough day during the second day of competition," said head track and field coach Elvis Forde. "She couldn't seem to get into a rhythm, but she did good enough to qualify for the championships, which shows the quality of athlete she is to still be able to qualify. However, she still has another event Saturday and can hopefully get back to her regular self."
Sade Sealy finished the 400-meter dash finals in 15th place with a time of 54.31, but the time wasn't enough to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Aisha Praught was 26th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:29.40, while Kristen Zillmer finished 30th in a personal-best time of 10:33.66. Praught and Zillmer's season ended at the regional, as their times were not enough to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
"Kristen knocked a lot of time off of her personal-best, which is hard for a freshman to do on such a large stage," said Forde. "It was great to see her respond well to the pressure and grab a new personal-best time in the event."
Akil Mills was the only member of the men's team to compete during the second day of competition. He finished 34th in the men's hammer throw with a mark of 185-05, but didn't qualify for the finals in the event.
"We have more competitions tomorrow (Saturday), and we expect our athletes to do well in the final few events," said Forde. "We have the possibility to qualify for the NCAA Championships in a few more events."
The final Redbird competitors will return to the track Saturday, with the final day of competition set to begin at noon (CST) with the women's discus and action on the track will get started at 3 p.m., with the women's 400-meter relay.
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