25 Buffs Advance to NCAA West Preliminaries

BOULDER – Colorado track and field will send a squad of 25 student-athletes to the NCAA West Preliminaries May 26-May 29 at Texas A&M in College Station.
 
The CU women racked up 16 athletes to the prelims across eight different events. The men are sending nine individuals in five different events. All athletes will be battling for a top-12 spot in their events to advance to the 2021 NCAA Track and Field Championships June 9-June 12 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
 
The top Buff entering the prelims is Sage Hurta who owns the fastest 1,500 in the nation this season at 4:08.38. The 2021 mile champion will have familiar competition as Krissy Gear of Arkansas is second in the west in 4:09.00. Hurta defeated Gear in the mile title, running away in the final 200 meters. Hurta will be joined in the 1,500 by Micaela Degenero who owns the seventh-best mark in the west and Rachel McArthur who is 17th and Annie Hill.
 
Three other Buffs own top-10 marks in the west, Abby Nichols in the 10,000 at fifth, Eduardo Herrera in the 5,000 at fifth and Madie Boreman in the steeplechase at eighth.
 
Nichols will join John Dressel as the CU representatives in the distance double of the 5,000 and 10,000. Nichols is ranked 13th in the 5,000 while Dressel is 14th in the 5k and 18th in the 10k. The Buffs will have strong representation in both events across both genders as the men send three in the 5,000 and the women send three in 5,000 and four in the 10,000. Alec Hornecker will join Dressel and Herrera in the 5,000 and is ranked 39th. The women will have Nichols, Annie Hill and Kaitlyn Barthell in the 5,000 while Nichols, Barthell, Elizabeth Constien and Emily Covert will run the 10,000. Covert is ranked 15th in the 10,000, Colorado's final top-20 athlete in the distance events.
 
The Buffaloes will also have strong representation across the quarter miles with both 4x400 relays qualified and athletes in the open and hurdled 400s. Eriana Henderson will make her fourth prelim squad in the 400 hurdles where she is ranked 11th. Freshman Abbey Glynn joins in her first prelims competition as the 15th-ranked athlete with just three races under her belt. Both are joined by Tamia Badal and Jaida Drame as the 23rd-ranked women's 4x4. The men have Ronald Sayles in the open 400 as the 26th-ranked athlete and Aaron McCoy in the 400 hurdles as the 25th-ranked athlete. Both will be on the 17th-ranked relay along with a combination involving Ian Gilmore, Kendal Smith and Tyler Williams.
 
CU will have representation across all disciplines as Avery McMullen is the lone jumper after qualifying in the long jump as the 39th athlete. She is joined by Jada Green in the javelin as the 21st-ranked athlete while Dominique Williams qualifies in the men's hammer throw as the 43rd-ranked athlete.
 
The NCAA West Preliminaries will be live streamed on ESPN+ under the SEC Network+ for subscribing members. Williams will be the first athlete for CU competing as the men's first day begins Wednesday with field events at 12:30 p.m. MT. The men's prelims start that evening at 5 p.m. MT with the finals of the 10,000 at 8:10 p.m. MT. The women will repeat the process on Thursday. Friday's men's competition starts at 4:30 p.m. MT with the prelim finals in all events. The women start their final day on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. MT.