Three Track and Field Athletes Qualify for NCAA Championships

Wednesday, May 25

Bloomington, Ind.

TBA

University of Memphis

NCAA East Regional Championship

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Three Track and Field Athletes Qualify for NCAA Championships

May 29, 2022 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – University of Memphis track and field finished the preliminary round of the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with three qualifiers for the championships beginning next week.

Robby Watson was the first Tiger to qualify in Wednesday's hammer competition with his top 68.17m throw. This mark placed him eighth in the regional. Watson holds a top-25 ranking in the nation, coming in at the 23^rd spot, which is the second-best for the American Athletic Conference.

Senior Cole Riddle was also qualified with his top pole vault clearance of 5.29m. This follows his gold medal performance two weeks ago in the conference championships. Riddle still ranks 11^th in the nation for the event.

The last Tiger to qualify was DeeNia McMiller in the women's hammer Thursday. Her 64.59m top throw placed her 12^th in the regional competition, and she still holds the 14^th overall spot in the NCAA from her 67.89m mark at the AAC Championships. McMiller also qualified for the East Regional in the women's discus and shot put, where she placed 26^th and 46^th, respectively.

Mona Jaidi, Elina Nebl and VItaliy Favorov all had top-25 performances in the men's and women's javelin, placing 15^th, 24^th and 19^th, respectively.

Vigdis Jonsdottir followed McMiller in the women's hammer with a top-20 finish, coming in at the 19^th spot with a top 61.68m throw. Similarly, Drew O'Connor finished the men's pole vault with a top-25 performance (25^th, 5.04m).

Iason Machairas and Adam Yakobi were the remaining Tigers who qualified for the East Regional, both claiming a top-30 finish. Machairas finished the men's shot put in 29^th (17.81m) and Yakobi in the men's 400m hurdles (52.10).

Up next, Watson, Riddle and McMiller will travel to the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. Events begin Wednesday, June 8. Watson and Riddle will both compete Wedensday, while the women's hammer for McMiller will begin at 3 p.m. the following day.

Memphis Performances

Men
400m Hurdles – 30. Adam Yakobi, 52.10.
Pole Vault – 8. Cole Riddle, 5.29m. 25. Drew O'Connor, 5.04m.
Shot Put – 29. Iason Machairas, 17.81m.
Hammer – 8. Robert Watson, 68.17m.
Javelin – 19. Vitaliy Favorov, 65.52m.

Women
Pole Vault – 39. Alyssa Morello, 3.96m.
Shot Put – 46. DeeNia McMiller, 14.33m.
Discus – 26. DeeNia McMiller, 49.97m.
Hammer – 12. DeeNia McMiller, 64.59m. 19. Vigdis Jonsdottir, 61.68m.
Javelin – 15. Mona Jaidi, 49.49m. 24. Elina Nebl, 46.59m.

Complete Results

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