Tweet

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Sixteen men’s track and field athletes qualified in 18 events, while eight women’s competitors qualified in 10 events at the NCAA East Preliminary Round, the NCAA Selection Committee announced on Friday.

On the men’s side, the Hokie pole vaulters and hammer throwers lead the way. Four Hokie hammer throwers, sophomore Marcel Lomnicky, who owns the top mark in the nation, freshman Alexander Ziegler, senior Matej Muza and freshman Denis Mahmic all earned bids to the NCAA meet, while senior Yavgeniy Olhovsky, junior Hunter Hall and junior Jared Jodon secured bids for the pole vault.

Senior Igor Misljenovic qualified in the men’s shot put and discus, and freshman David Wilson, along with sophomore Hasheem Halim, rounded out the men’s field qualifiers, sealing spots in the men’s triple jump.

Sophomore Keith Ricks and junior Ebenezer Amegashie will represent the men’s sprints unit at the meet. Ricks will compete in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, while Amegashie claimed a berth in the 100-meter hurdle field.

The men’s distance crew tallied four bids overall for the Hokies. Sophomore Will Mulherin notched a bid in the 5,000-meters, and sophomore Michael Hammond and junior Chris Walizer were selected to the 1,500-meter field. Junior Ryan Witt rounded out the Tech men’s squad representatives, earning a spot in the 800-meter field.

Senior Queen Harrison is set for a big NCAA Preliminary Round, as the top-ranked runner in both the women’s 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles. Joining Harrison in the 100-meter hurdles is senior Kristi Castlin, who holds the third-best mark in the 100-meter hurdle field, while senior Asia Washington will run with Harrison in the 400-meter hurdles.

The 100-meter hurdle field also features two Hokies, freshman Funmi Alabi and sophomore Ogechi Nwaneri. Nwaneri also qualified for the 200-meter dash. Sophomore Sammy Dow rounds out the women’s runners and is set to compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Juniors Kelly Phillips and Dorotea Habazin make up the women’s field contingent. Habazin will compete in the hammer throw, where she owns the best throw in the nation, while Phillips collected a bid in the pole vault.

The NCAA East Preliminary Round will begin on Thursday, May 27 and run through Saturday, May 29 in Greensboro, N.C. Results will be available on hokiesports.com.

For updates on Virginia Tech track & field, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Track).