AUSTIN, Texas - Nine members of the Illinois State men's and No. 25-ranked women's track & field teams are set to compete in the 2013 NCAA West Region Preliminary Round hosted by Texas Thursday through Saturday.
Forty-eight athletes in each individual event qualify for the NCAA Preliminary Round, while just 24 teams do so in the relays. There are two regions, the West and the East, and only 12 athletes and relay teams will advance from each region to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 5-8, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
The Redbirds qualified for nine individual events and one relay, the women's 4X400-meter. Tim Glover is the highest ranked member on the men's side, holding the No. 2 spot in the javelin with a season-best mark of 78.33m, while Sade Sealy is one of the highest-ranked on the women's side, after claiming her eighth-straight MVC title in the 400-meter dash with a time of 52.01, the fourth-fastest in the nation.
Brittany Smith qualified for all three of her events, ranking fifth in the shot put, fourth in the hammer and 21st in the discus. Elise Sigg, Kristen Zillmer and Kelly McShea all secured spots in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and rank 11th, 16th and 20th in the region heading into the weekend.
Shandel Ellis and Printassia Johnson are the only other track stars competing, as Ellis qualified in the 400-meter dash and both in the 4X400-meter relay. Zillmer and Sealy will also run a leg on the relay.
Akil Mills was the only other member of the men's squad to earn a spot at regionals, as he enters the meet as the No. 23-ranked hammer thrower with a season-best mark of 62.29m.
Fans wishing to follow the live action can do so on GoRedbirds.com or on Twitter via @ISU_Track_XC.
ISU ATHLETES ADMITTED INTO THE NCAA WEST REGION PRELIMINARY ROUND
| Name | Event | Time/Mark | Region Rank |
| Shandel Ellis | 400M / 4X400M | 54.20 / 3:38.64 | No. 43 / 20 |
| Tim Glover | Javelin | 78.33m | No. 2 |
| Printassia Johnson | 4X400M | 3:38.64 | No. 20 |
| Kelly McShea | Steeplechase | 10:16.95 | No. 20 |
| Akil Mills | Hammer Throw | 62.29m | N0.23 |
| Sade Sealy | 400M / 4X400M | 52.01 / 3:38.64 | No. 4 / 20 |
| Elise Sigg | Steeplechase | 10:12.64 | No. 11 |
| Brittany Smith | Shot / Discus / Hammer | 17.38m / 53.80m / 66.71m | No. 5 / 21 / 4 |
| Kristen Zillmer | Steeplechase / 4X400M | 10:14.83 / 3:38.64 | No. 16 / 20 |
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