BOONE, N.C. - Four Mountaineers are set to compete at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Fla. on May 24-27. Junior
Chris Wainscott will compete in the men's shot put, junior
Calbert Guest will race in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, junior
Niejel Wilkins will take on the men's triple jump and senior
Jada Branch will compete in the women's triple jump. The meet will be hosted by North Florida at Hodges Stadium. All four days of competition will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Wainscott will open competition for the Mountaineers on Wednesday with the men's shot put. The event is slated for a 6 p.m. start. The Indianapolis, Ind. native qualified for competition with a toss of 17.95m (58' 10.75") at the Georgia Tech Invitational on April 21-22, which placed him at 40th on the qualifying list. Wainscott also stands third in the App State all-time list in the men's shot put category.
On Friday, Guest will compete in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase at 5:40 p.m. At the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships, Guest clocked a personal best of 8:54.06 in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase to earn First-Team All-SBC accolades. Guest's time also moved him to fourth in the App State all-time list. The Fort Collins, Colo. native marks the 13th occasion an App State athlete has competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in the postseason meet.
Wilkins will also compete on Friday. The men's triple jump is slated for a 6 p.m. start. The Kinston, N.C. native recorded a leap of 15.15m (49' 8.5") in the men's triple jump at the SBC Outdoor Championships to earn Third-Team All-SBC honors. Wilkins ranked 45th in the East Prelim qualifying list with a leap of 15.31m (50' 2.75"), which he recorded at the App State Open on April 29. Wilkins ranks ninth in the App State all-time list in the men's triple jump category.
Branch will close out competition for the Mountaineers on Saturday as she competes in the women's triple jump. The Stafford, Va. native ranked eighth in the East Prelim qualifying list with a leap of 13.35m (43' 9.75") +2.5 wind, which was recorded at the App State Open on April 29. She also earned Third-Team All-SBC honors with a leap of 12.86m (42' 2.25") at the Sun Belt Championships. Branch currently ranks third in the App State all-time list with a leap of 13.13m (43' 1").
Twelve competitors for each individual event and twelve teams from each relay event from the East Preliminary will advance to the NCAA Championships. The NCAA Championships will be held at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas on June 7-10.
