Track & Field Postseason Continues at NCAA West Prelims

LOS ANGELES – UCLA Track & Field continues its postseason schedule with a trip to the NCAA West Preliminaries in College Station, Texas. The four-day competition will kick off on Wednesday, May 26 at E.B. Cushing Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M University.
 
MEET INFORMATION – NCAA West Regional Championships

• Wednesday, May 26 – Saturday, May 29
• E.B. Cushing Stadium (Texas A&M)

Meet Format / Qualifying for NCAA Championships
The NCAA West Preliminaries will feature the top 48 athletes in the West Region in each individual event and the top 24 teams in each relay competition. The top 12 finishers/teams in each event will advance to the NCAA Championships (June 9-11 in Eugene, Ore.). The top 12 finishers in the East Region will also qualify, with 24 athletes competing in each event at the National Meet.
 
Men's qualifying heats and field events will take place on Wednesday and Friday of this week. Women's qualifying heats and field events will take place on Thursday and Saturday of this week.
 
LOOKING BACK – 2019 NCAA West Preliminaries
UCLA last competed last competed at the NCAA West Preliminaries in 2019 and picked up 18 qualifying marks for the NCAA Championships. Robert Brandt secured qualification in the 5000m and 10,000m while UCLA's male shot putters (Dotun Ogundeji, Nate Esparza, and Otito Ogbonnia) picked up three qualifying marks to the National Meet. Alyssa Wilson qualified in the shot, discus, and hammer throw for the second-straight season to open her UCLA career. Sean Lee jumped 2.11m (6-11.00) to qualify in the high jump as a freshman for the Bruins. The UCLA men picked up 10th-place finishes from both relay squads. Meleni Rodney secured qualification in the 400m.
 
MEET RECAP – Pac-12 Championships (May 14-16)
The Bruins opened their postseason schedule at the Pac-12 Championships at Cromwell Field & Loker Track Stadium on the campus of USC, coming away with impressive performances across the board.
 
Harrison Schrage picked up the Pac-12 long jump title on day two of the competition, going 7.81m (25-07.50) on his first attempt for the win. Alyssa Wilson scored in the shot put, hammer, and discus competitions and earned 22 points for the Bruins, earning Co-Female Athlete of the Meet honors with USC's Twanisha Terry. Shae Anderson was sensational in the 400m hurdles, going 55.21 for a lifetime-best time and the No. 7 mark in UCLA history in the event. It's also the No. 2 collegiate time in the country ahead of NCAA Regionals. The UCLA women notched podium spots in the 4x400m and 4x100m relays, finishing second and third in the events, respectively.
 
Ilaria Casarotto put together a career performance in the women's javelin competition, notching a school-record toss of 53.09m (174-02). Kate Jendrezak flew to a lifetime-best time in the 800m final, clocking in at 2:04.46 for fourth place overall and the No. 4 performance all-time by a Bruin in the event. Kyle Brown secured a podium spot in the pole vault, clearing 5.11m (16-09.25) for third place overall.
 
USTFCCCA RANKINGS
The UCLA women's squad is currently 15th on the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national poll. The Bruins did not compete over the weekend before the current rankings were released. The UCLA women were ranked 11th on the May 17 edition of the poll, the highest ranking for the program since 2009.
 
NOTES ON THE BRUINS

• Shae Anderson's time of 55.21 in the 400m hurdles is the second-best collegiate time in the nation and the eighth-fastest time in the world this year.
• Alyssa Wilson owns the second-best collegiate hammer mark in the nation this year at 69.94m (229-5).
• Alyssa Wilson (hammer throw) and Shae Anderson (400m, 400mH) have qualified for the upcoming Olympic Trials in the aforementioned events.
• Harrison Schrage won the Pac-12 long jump title with a leap of 7.81m (25-07.50). He owns the fifth-best mark in the West Region at 7.97m (26-01.75).

DECLARED ENTRIES – UCLA on West Region Performance Lists
The following student-athletes have registered times/marks among the top 50 collegiate performances this year:
 
Women
2. Shae Anderson – 400m Hurdles (55.21)
2. Alyssa Wilson – Hammer Throw (69.94m)
4. Meleni Rodney – 400m (51.32)
5. 4x400m Relay (3:30.16)
6. Alyssa Wilson – Shot Put (17.74m)
7. 4x100m Relay (43.89)
7. Kate Jendrezak – 800m (2:04.46)
8. Ilaria Casarotto – Javelin (53.09m)
11. Alyssa Wilson – Discus (57.13m)
17. Isa Videler – Heptathlon (5509)
29. Lauren McFall – Javelin (48.62m)
31. Makenzy Pierre-Webster – 200m (23.51)
39. Maddy Doane – 200m (23.66)
47. Maddy Doane – 100m (11.63)
 
Men
5. Harrison Schrage – Long Jump (7.97m)
8. 4x100m Relay (39.29)
13. Peter Herold – 3000m Steeplechase (8:42.94)
14. Ismail Turner – 400m (46.09)
15. Jacob Wilson – Shot Put (19.36m)
30. Kenroy Higgins II – 100m (10.33)
30. Kenroy Higgins II – 200m (20.88)
35. Jacob Wilson – Hammer Throw (62.28m)
42. Tate Curran – Pole Vault (5.20m)