2018 NCAA Championships Schedule | USTFCCCA Champ Central | Broadcast Schedule | Live Results
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference will be well represented at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with 36 student-athletes from eight of the conference’s schools punching tickets to the national meet held at the University of Oregon’s historic Hayward Field from June 6-9.
The top 12 finishers in each event at the East and West Prelim meets held from May 24-26 qualified for the national championships. Thirty-six bids ties the conference’s record set in 2014, as Houston, who swept the men’s and women’s conference outdoor titles this season, leads the way with 13 student-athletes making the trip to Eugene, Ore.
Memphis is sending the second-most student-athletes with nine, followed by UConn with four. Three Shockers will make the trip, while two student-athletes from ECU, SMU and Tulane each earned qualifying bids. High jumper Loretta Blaut will be the sole Bearcat to compete in the national championship. Tulsa’s Marc Scott won the 10,000-meter run, while Houston’s 4x100-meter relay team placed first in last year’s NCAA Championship meet. Coverage of the NCAA Outdoor Championships will be streamed on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 or ESPNU, depending on the date and time of select events.
The Cougars’ 4x100-meter relay squad of John Lewis III, Mario Burke, Nicholas Alexander and Cameron Burrell and 4x400-meter relay team of Amere Lattin, Trumaine Jefferson, Burrell and Kahmari Montgomery each won the third heat of the NCAA West Prelim and booked automatic qualifying positions to Oregon. Lattin also qualified in both the 110 and 400-meter hurdles, while a trio of Cougar men qualified for the 100-meter dash and two more for the 200-meter dash. Burrell, along with Burke and Elijah Hall, ran top-12 100m times, while Burke and Alexander hit national qualifying marks in the 200m. Montgomery placed second in the quarterfinal of the 400-meter dash, and senior Brian Barraza finished second in his 3,000-meter steeplechase heat to collect spots in the NCAA Finals.
Houston’s Samiyah Samuels earned a championship bid, grabbing the 12th and final qualifying long jump spot. This year’s conference Women’s Most Valuable Outdoor Performance recipient, Brianne Bethel will be racing in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes—two events she won at the league’s outdoor championship meet. Birexus Hawkins booked her first-career trip to the NCAA Championships in the 400-meter hurdles. Nathaniel Mechler automatically qualified for the national meet after recording 7,722 points in the decathlon during the regular season.
In addition to Memphis’ 4x400-meter relay team of Calvin Austin, Jarred Pasley, Ryan Champlin and Naaman Norment, Luke Vaughn, who won this year’s Men’s Most Valuable Outdoor Performance award, will be making the trip to Oregon. Teammates Ashley Pryke (women's javelin), Rafael Vallery (men's discus), Martina Rodriguez Sala (1,500m) and Michael Criticos (men’s javelin) will join them in the national meet.
UConn’s Susan Aneno claimed the NCAA East Regional title in the 800-meter run after crossing the finish line in 2:02.71. The junior joins teammate Divine Oladipo with a spot in the NCAA Championships after she set her school’s shot put record (17.37m) on Friday. On the men’s side, two All-Conference selections in freshman Safir Scott (high jump) and pole vaulter Craig Hunter each posted top-12 East Prelim marks and will be making the trip to the NCAA Finals.
ECU seniors Galissia Cause (shot put) and Stefano Migliorati (800m) will move on to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Wichita State javelin throwers Aaron True and Damien Odle also advanced to the NCAA Championships after taking the fourth and 10th-place spots, respectively in the West Prelims. Four-time All-American Hunter Veith automatically qualified in the decathlon with a personal-best 8,046 points, as he ranks No. 2 in the nation. SMU’s Latessa Johnson will return to the NCAA Championships in the 200m and joins conference shot put record-holder Tochi Nlemchi, who qualified Thursday. Tulane’s hurdler record-holder Jessica Duckett qualified in the 400m hurdles, while distance runner Emmanuel Rotich has a spot in the 3000m steeplechase.
One member of Cincinnati’s program earned a trip to Oregon with Blaut qualifying for the NCAA Finals in the women's high jump after tying for first place Thursday. Blaut is a four-time conference champion and four-time USTFCCCA All-American.
American Athletic Conference NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships Qualifiers
Men
Craig Hunter, UConn (PV)
Safir Scott, UConn (HJ)
Stefano Migliorati, ECU (800m)
John Lewis III, Houston (100m, 4x100m)
Mario Burke, Houston (100m, 200m, 4x100m)
Elijah Hall, Houston (100m)
Cameron Burrell, Houston (100m, 4x100m, 4x400m)
Nathaniel Mechler, Houston (Decathlon)
Nicholas Alexander, Houston (200m, 4x100m)
Trumaine Jefferson, Houston (4x400m)
Kahmari Montgomery, Houston (400m, 4x400m)
Brian Barraza, Houston (3,000m Steeplechase)
Amere Lattin, Houston (400mH, 110mH, 4x400m)
Calvin Austin, Memphis (4x100m)
Jarred Pasley, Memphis (4x100m)
Ryan Champlin, Memphis (4x100m)
Naaman Norment, Memphis (4x100m)
Luke Vaughn, Memphis (DT)
Rafael Vallery, Memphis (DT)
Michael Critios, Memphis (JT)
Emmanuel Rotich, Tulane (3,000m Steeplechase)
Aaron True, Wichita State (JT)
Damien Odle, Wichita State (JT)
Hunter Veith, Wichita State (Decathlon)
Women
Loretta Blaut, Cincinnati (HJ)
Divine Oladipo, UConn (SP, DT)
Susan Aneno, UConn (800m)
Galissia Cause, ECU (DT, SP)
Martina Rodriguez-Sala, Memphis (1,500m)
Ashley Pryke, Memphis (JT)
Jessica Duckett, Tulane (100mH, 400mH)
Brianne Bethel, Houston (100m, 200m)
Birexus Hawkins, Houston, (400mH)
Samiyah Samuels, Houston (LJ)
Latessa Johnson, SMU (100m, 200m)
Tochi Nlemchi, SMU (SP)