Mustangs Begin NCAA West Preliminary Events Thursday

Thursday, May 24

Sacramento, Calif. / Hornet Stadium

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SMU

NCAA West Preliminary Round

Mustangs Begin NCAA West Preliminary Events Thursday

May 22 | Track & Field

2018 NCAA West Preliminary Championships
Date	May 24-26, 2018
Location	Sacramento, Calif. at Hornet Stadium (Hosted by Sacramento State)
Live Results	Results
Live Coverage	FloTrack ($)
Meet Info	Meet Information \| Schedule \| Heat Sheets
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DALLAS (SMU) – Five Mustangs will head to the NCAA Track & Field West Preliminary Championships on May 24-26 in Sacramento, California after posting qualifying marks during the outdoor season.

The Mustangs earned eight total entries in six events at the preliminary.

Tochi Nlemchi will lead off the competition for the Mustangs on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. PST with the shot put. The Second Team All-American has qualified for the preliminary shot put event four times in her career and advanced to the NCAA Championships to take ninth in the country in 2016. Nlemchi's conference record-breaking throw of 17.05m at the conference championships slates her as the No. 8 seed in the event.

The Mustangs will open the track portion of the championship with the first round of the 100-meter dash on Thursday at 6:55 p.m. PST. Chelsea Francis is the 12^th-seeded competitor in the event after posting a mark of 11.22 at the Bobcat Classic earlier this season. Latessa Johnson, who enters her third-consecutive NCAA West Preliminary, will join her as the No. 15 seed with a time of 11.25.

Hannah Miller will close Thursday events with the 10,000-meter semifinal at 9:40 p.m. PST. She will be the No. 16 seed after marking 33:43.35 at the Stanford Invitational. Her mark led the American Conference all season and ranks third all-time at SMU.

Friday features all sprints competition for SMU as Johnson and Francis take on the 200-meter dash first round at 7:55 p.m. PST. Johnson holds SMU's highest seed at No. 7. The 2016 Second Team All-American broke her own school record in the event at the conference championship with a time of 22.77. Francis posted a time of 23.04 to earn the No. 17 seed.

The 100-meter quarterfinal will run at 6:15 p.m. PST.

Triple jump opens the final day of competition on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PST as Atipa Mabonga competes as the No. 37 seed. The freshman qualified for the preliminary after posting a personal best jump of 12.69m at the conference championships to earn second place.

Hannah Miller will return to the track for the 5,000-meter Saturday night. The sophomore is seedd 30^th with a time of 16:09.99 from the Mt. SAC Relays.

The 200-meter quarterfinal will take place at 7:50 p.m.

SMU's events kick off with the first round of the women's 100-meter dash on Thursday, May 24, at 6:55 p.m. PST. A full schedule of events can be found here.

The NCAA East Preliminary will be May 25-27 in Tampa, Florida, and the NCAA Championships will run June 6-9 in Eugene, Oregon.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE OUTDOOR T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP
The Mustangs claimed fifth place at the American Conference Outdoor Championships May 11-13 in Cincinnati, Ohio, after earning nine all-conference finishes in six events throughout the weekend. Tochi Nlemchi highlighted the Mustangs team performance by earning her second career AAC outdoor shot put title. The senior threw 17.05m in the event, setting a PR, a stadium record, a meet record and the American Conference record. Latessa Johnson claimed silver in both the 100m and 200m after earning a lifetime best mark of 22.77 in the 200. Chelsea Francis followed with bronze in both events. In distance events, Hannah Miller and Svenja Ojstersek led the way for SMU. Both runners medaled in the 10,000m (Ojsersek – silver, Miller – bronze), and Miller found silver in the 5,000 for her second consecutive all-conference finish in the event. Atipa Mabonga rounded out the all-conference performances with a PR in the triple jump. Her mark of 12.69m propelled her into second place for the freshman's first All-AAC honor. Madison Pyle broke a record of her own, running the 400-meter hurdles in 1:00.05 for the fastest time in school history.

OUTDOOR ALL-CONFERENCE FINISHES
Tochi Nlemchi – Shot Put (Gold)
Latessa Johnson – 100m (Silver), 200m (Silver)
Hannah Miller – 10,000m (Bronze), 5,000m (Silver)
Chelsea Francis – 100m (Bronze), 200m (Bronze)
Atipa Mabonga – Triple Jump (Silver)
Svenja Ojstersek – 10,000m (Silver)

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