Day 1 Preview
Instead of doing a full lengthy preview, I thought I'd try to discuss each day. Today is Day 1 of the West Region National Prelims! Today will be only the men, then tomorrow women, Friday men, and Saturday women.
Today will be the first round for every running event 100-1500. So from 48 the field will cut down to 24. For all of them aside from the 1500, there will be 6 heats. The top 3 in each heat and the next 6 fastest times will advance to Friday or the national quarterfinals. For the 1500 it'll be 4 heats and the top 5 in each heat plus the next 4 fastest will advance. Aside from these first round running events, there will be athletes punching their tickets to Eugene, Oregon today. There will be strictly finals for field events: Hammer, Javelin, Long Jump, Shot Put, and Pole Vault, as well as for the 10000 meter race. We have no Aggies in these throwing events nor the 10000.
Men's Long Jump - 4:30
Field event wise we will have Mason Mangum and Khybah Dawson in the long jump starting the day for the Aggies at 4:30. They are both in the 3rd flight. The best marks are in the 4th flight! They'll need to be near their PR's to have a chance to make it. For all field events it's only 3 attempts.
Men's Pole Vault - 5:30
They split the field of 48 into 2 runways, all 3 Aggies Aleksandr Solovev, Jack Mann III, and Leo Bowen will all be on the same runway. They simultaneously track both runways till there's 12 vaulters left. Solovev should easily be through, but we have to make sure he does. Jack Mann was really close last year. Last year 9 guys were over 17'9, 7 guys were at 17'5 including Mann. If you miss a height, then they sees you based on misses. On misses he finished 13th last season. Just outside of qualifying. Let's hope he redeems himself with a huge jump! Him and Bowen at or with a pr have a shot! But if we want to talk national title hopes, we need Solovev to advance! In a setting like this, he just needs a few clearances!
Men's 110 Hurdles - 6:00
We get things started on the track at 6pm! First event is the 110 hurdles. We only have Ja'Qualon Scott in this event. He has a fairly easy heat hand he should easily advance through.
Men's 1500 - 6:30
Second event on the track is the men's 1500 and it's set up to be one of the most entertaining races of the weekend! We have two Aggies competing in Cooper Cawthra and Luca Santorum. If you've seen their last few races or any races this year, they've both been showcasing their strong kick ability down the homestretch. In a 1500 race like this where advancement is all that matters, a great kick is necessary unless the runners take it out so fast! Luca is in a really really tough heat, but I think he gets through! Cawthra is placed in a heat that seems much easier! We just have to make sure they're all within striking distance and safely get through in the top 5 of their heat! But with their kicks and Aggies bringing them down the homestretch, I know they'll get through!
Men's 100 - 7:00
Only one Aggie in this race, Ernest Campbell. He will need a huge PB to make it through, so let's hope his best race is today! What's more important is that USC has 5 very very talented runners in this race. Keep an eye on if they get all of them to advance to Friday!
Men's 400 - 7:25
A huge huge event for the Aggies! With 5 entries in this event for us, it's pivotal we get as many to Friday as we can! Auhmad Robinson, Cutler Zamzow, Antonie Nortje, Hossam Hatib, and Eric Hemphill III will line up for the Aggies in the 400. Robinson and Hatib are in heat 1. Robinson should easily advance through, Hatib has the 4th best time in the heat this season. So he needs to run hard and make sure he gets through. By a strange coincidence (lol) the other 3 all got placed in the same heat. Zamzow and Nortje have the best times in the heat with Hemphill 7th. Let's see if they can will each other to the finish line! We really need to show out in this event! In conference it wasn't the best day for this group, but let's hope they bring it this week! I believe they can!
Men's 800 - 7:50
Another really pivotal event for our Aggies. We have 3 Aggies in this race, Sam Whitmarsh, Kimar Farquharson, and Caden Norris. All 3 advanced last season so let's hope for a repeat this week! A qualifying 800 is all about strategy! With just two laps of racing, the way you position yourself and the way you finish determine who advances. PR's don't mean much in a meet like this, same with the 1500. All 3 got placed in a different heat (which seems so rare for us lol). Sam should control his heat and I think he can take it out as his pace and get through. He just can't get caught up or boxed inside! Kimar has a couple Washington Huskies in his heat who could push him. Kimar is the strong 400 runner. He took the pace out slow at conference but ran out of gas. I think he fixes that and races smarter this week and makes sure he's able to use his speed and strength! Caden has a tougher heat with an Arkansas and Iowa State runner who are experienced and talented. I think Caden runs a smart race and can get through. He needs to stay up top and can't let them get out ahead. He's experienced and talented to get through! Again, having our home crowd getting these guys down the homestretch will be a huge advantage for us! Kimar and Caden being in heats 5 and 6 will be huge as well because they know what the bubble will be!
Men's 400 Hurdles - 8:20
Two Aggies in this race. It'll be the second race of the day for Ja'Qualon Scott, but it'll be 2 hours after his first event. Bryce McCray will also be running. Both advance to the national finals in this race last year. Both ran their best races at conference and are peaking at the right time! They both have outside lanes and should easily get through! But with hurdles, you always got to have a clean race.
Men's 200 - 8:45
Another sprinting event with only one Aggie. Mason Mangum will compete in the 200 as well as the long jump earlier today. He has the 5th best PR in his heat so he'll need a great race to advance. USC has 4 runners in this race so let's see how they fare!
Let's hope our Aggies have an amazing day! If you can make it out to EB Cushing, cheer hard for me and bring our Aggies down the homestretch! The sea of maroon as these athletes are coming down the 300 mark makes a huge difference! Let's see if we can get some jumpers and vaulters to qualify today and let's hope we can get as many runners as we can to the quarterfinals on Friday! BTHO THE WEST!
