BOONE, N.C. - Seven Mountaineers have advanced to the NCAA East Preliminary Round, as announced on the NCAA website on Thursday. Graduate Student
Ashlee Osaji, seniors
Niejel Wilkins,
Taylor Smith, and
Chris Wainscott, sophomores
Ava Studney and
Harrison Robinson, and freshman
Matthew Gray have been accepted into the competition.
The NCAA East Preliminary Round will be hosted by the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. on May 22-25. Fans will be able to stream all four days of competition on ESPN+.
Robinson will start things off for the Mountaineers with the first round of the men's 110-meter hurdles at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Robinson ranks third in the App State all-time list in the event after clocking a personal best of 13.93 to place second at the Weems Baskin Relays on March 23. He earned bronze at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships in the men's 110-meter hurdles after stopping the clock at 14.00 flat. He clinched first in the men's 110-meter hurdles at the App State Open and rounded out the top-five in the event at the Georgia Tech Invitational and Duke Invitational. The men's 110-meter hurdle quarterfinals are scheduled for 6:15 p.m. on Friday.
Wednesday's action will also feature the men's pole vault and men's shot put, both slated for 6:30 p.m. starts. Gray will compete in the men's pole vault and holds the school record in the event after clearing a height of 5.34m (17' 6.25") at the App State Open. His mark at the App State Open surpassed his previous school record of 5.33m (17' 5.75"), which he set at the Georgia Tech Invitational a week prior. Gray landed on the podium at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships after placing second in the men's pole vault with a clearance of 5.27m (17' 3.5"). He totaled five top-five finishes on the regular season, including a trio of first-place finishes.
Wainscott will step into the shot put ring at the NCAA East Prelim for a second consecutive year after qualifying for last season's meet. He registered a pair of first-place finishes at the Lenoir-Rhyne Open and Weems Baskin Relays with a season best toss of 17.88m (58' 8") and a toss 17.16m (56' 3.75"), respectively. Wainscott placed second at the Raleigh Relays as well as the App State Open and took ninth at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships in the men's shot put. He ranks second in the App State all-time list with a toss of 17.95m (58' 10.75"), which he recorded during the 2023 campaign.
On Thursday, Osaji and Smith will appear in the women's long jump, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Osaji is the school and conference record holder in the event after recording a personal best leap of 6.54m (21' 5.5") to place first at the Weems Baskin Relays. She also clinched gold at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships with a leap of 6.26m (20' 6.5") and placed first at the Duke Invitational with a leap of 6.31m (20' 8.5"). Smith stands second in the App State all-time list after recording a personal best leap of 6.32m (20' 9") to place first at the App State Open. The three-time Sun Belt Athlete of the Week selection also posted a first-place finish in the event at the Lenoir-Rhyne Open with a leap of 5.97m (19' 7").
At 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Studney will take part in the women's pole vault competition. Studney opened the outdoor season by breaking the App State program record with a clearance of 4.04m (13' 3") to place first at the Lenoir-Rhyne Open on March 16. She placed second in the women's pole vault at the App State Open with a clearance of 3.97m (13' 0.25") and placed third in the event at the Georgia Tech Invitational with a mark of 3.80m (12' 5.5").
Friday's 6 p.m. men's triple jump will feature Wilkins, who is appearing in the event at the East Prelim meet for a second consecutive year. Wilkins is a back-to-back Sun Belt bronze medalist in the men's triple jump after recording a leap of 15.55m (51' 0.25") at this season's outdoor championships. At the App State Open on April 27, Wilkins clinched first in the men's triple jump with a personal best leap of 15.83m (51' 11.25"), which tied him with Joel Gaddy for fifth in the App State all-time list.
The top-12 finishers in each individual event and 12 teams from each relay event from the East Preliminary will advance to the NCAA Championships. The NCAA Championships will be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on June 5-8.
