From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—The Auburn track and field team qualified six entries for the NCAA Outdoor Championships during the NCAA East Preliminaries meet at Hodges Stadium on the University of North Florida campus, May 23-25. Sophomore distance runner Joyce Kimeli led the Tigers, qualifying in the women’s 3000m steeplechase and 5000m run, becoming the first Auburn women’s distance runner to advance to nationals in multiple distance events since Rachel Sauder in 1995.
Other qualifying women include Kylee Carter (javelin), Skyler Daniel (high jump) and Madi Malone (hammer), and men’s thrower Cade Antonucci (javelin).
The 2019 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held June 5-8, at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas.
Kimeli pulled the difficult double by winning the 3000m steeplechase on Friday in a school-record time of 9:52.48 before turning around Saturday to run a 16:14.31 in 5000m to automatically advance after taking third in her heat.
Carter qualified for her second consecutive NCAA Outdoor meet after finishing third in the javelin on Day 1 of competition with a toss of 53.24m/174-8. Daniel cleared her first three bars without a miss, including tying her personal-best 1.75m/5-8.75, to finish tied for eighth. The NCAA berth is the first for the senior.
Also on Day 1 of the East Prelims, Malone punched her ticket to Austin by finishing fourth in the women’s hammer throw with a toss of 64.03m/210-1. The mark, which came on her second of three tosses, was the No. 5 throw in AU history.
Antonucci, who competed as NCAA Outdoors as a freshman in 2018, guaranteed his second-consecutive trip to nationals after a toss of 66.22m/217-3 on Day 2. The Mays Landing, New Jersey, native is the first Tiger in school history to qualify for in the NCAA meet in the javelin throw in consecutive years.
Freshman Shaun Shivers had a strong meet, posting two of his three fastest times ever in the men’s 200m dash. Shivers ran a personal-best 20.99 in the quarterfinals to finish 22nd after running a 21.04 in the first round.