USC’s Women’s T&F Team Follows Men With Strong Opening Day At The NCAA West Preliminary Rounds

Joy McArthur advanced to the NCAA Championships in the women's hammer throw and eight athletes advanced to NCAA Quarterfinals during the first day of the women's 2022 NCAA West Preliminary Rounds being held at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Ark. today (May 26).  Today in the field events, the top 12 finishers advanced to the NCAA Championships, while you needed to finish in the top 24 in the running events, to advance to the quarterfinals in two days.

• McArthur and Summer Mosley got things started for the Trojans in the women's hammer throw which began at 10 a.m. local time and was full of drama.  McArthur qualified for the NCAA Championships with a clutch throw of 207-0 (63.10m) in her final attempt which moved her from 15th to tied for 12th.  She took the 12th and final advancing position outright by virtue of her initial throw of 201-11 (61.55m) which was better than the second-best throw by the athlete from Southern Illinois which she had tied in her final attempt.  McArthur will be competing in her second consecutive NCAA Championships in the hammer throw. Mosley had a best throw of 189-4 (57.70m) to finish third in the first flight, but did not advance.  Also in the competition, Kamryn Rogers set the collegiate record with a mark of 250-10 (76.46m).
• The running portion of the meet began with the women's 100m hurdles and Jasmine Jones and Jalaysiya Smith easily advanced to the quarterfinals on Saturday.  Jones won her heat with a time of 12.95 (+0.3) and Smith took second in her heat with a time of 13.29 (-0.2) to automatically advance.  Jones tied for the fastest time of the day.
• Celera Barnes and Samirah Moody automatically advanced to the 100m quarterfinal on Saturday by finishing in the top three of their heat.  Barnes won her heat with a time of 11.33 (+0.1) and Moody was third in her heat with a time of 11.49 (+0.7) to advance.  Chioma Okonkwo by the narrowest of margins missed out on the sixth and final non-automatic qualifier spot with a time of 11.57 (11.567).  The final two time-qualifiers had the same time, but the fifth position beat her by .002 seconds (11.565) and the sixth position by .001 seconds (11.566).
• Jan'Taijah Ford and Bailey Lear both automatically advanced the quarterfinals in the women's 400m.  Ford won her heat with a time of 52.85 and Lear took second in her heat with a time of 52.45.
• Samirah Moody and Chioma Okonkwo closed out the day for the Trojans by both posting PRs and both advancing to the 200m quarterfinal on Saturday by taking third in their heat.  Moody finished with a time of 23.25 (+1.0) and Okonkwo had a time of 23.49 (+0.3).   The event ended shortly after 9 p.m. in Arkansas.

Tomorrow will be the final day of the men's 2022 NCAA West Preliminary Rounds and it begins for the Trojans at 12:30 p.m. PT with the high jump.

USC's men competing individually on Friday with a chance to advance to the NCAA T&F Championships will be: Ashton Allen (200m), Eric Allen Jr. (100m), Johnnie Blockburger (400m), Jalyn Jackson (TJ), Kasaun James (200m), Tade Ojora (110m H), Bobby Poynter (800m), Earnest Sears III (HJ), Zach Shinnick (200m), Brendon Stewart (100m), Sam VanDorpe (800m).  USC will also have both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays in action.
 
# # # # #