#HTownSpeedCity to be Well Represented at NCAA West Prelims

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#HTownSpeedCity to be Well Represented at NCAA West Prelims

5/20/2021 3:08:00 PM | Track and Field

Cougars to be well represented in College Station

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Track & Field program will be well represented at the NCAA West Region Prelims taking place May 26-29 in College Station, with 15 qualifiers and two relays on the women's side and 20 qualifiers and two relays on the men's side.

FULL LIST OF ENTRIES

The Houston Women will be represented in 12 different events, including the 4x100-meter relay and the 4x400-meter relay. Brianne Bethel leads the squad in declarations and is set to compete in the 100-meter, 200-meter and is a member of both the 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays. Bethel will enter the prelims as the No. 2 seed in the region in the 200-meter. Four UH women have declared for the 100-meter (Cecilia Tamayo-Garza, Tristan Evelyn, Camille Rutherford, Bethel) and three for the 200-meter (Tamayo-Garza, Bethel, Rutherford).

Naomi Taylor and Sarah Belle will represent the Cougars in the 100-meter hurdles, as Taylor is set to make her third appearance at regionals. In the 400-meter hurdles, Erin Derrow and Imari Chatman will vie for a spot at the 2021 NCAA Championships for the first time as competitors at the preliminary round.

The Houston 4x100-meter relay is coming off a record-breaking performance at The American Championships with the No. 2 in the region with a time of 42.84. In the 4x400-meter relay, Houston is the holder of the 11^th-best time in the west region.

In the field, the Cougars will be well represented in six different events. Samiyah Samuels will make her third appearance at the NCAA West prelims in the long jump, after picking up a second-place finish in the event at the league championships. UH will have competitors in three of the four throwing events as Nu'uausala Tuilefano, Mikaila Martin, Taylor Scaife and Nora Monie will head to College Station to compete in the Shot Put, Hammer Throw and Discus. Sarah Howe and Destiny Lawrence will be first time qualifiers for the prelims as Howe is declared for the Pole Vault and Lawrence for the Triple Jump.

On the men's side UH will be represented by 20 student-athletes and a pair of relay squads. The Cougars will pack the 100-meter and 200-meter fields as seven Cougars are set to compete in each of the events, led by freshman Shaun Maswanganyi who enters the meet with the top-time in the west region in both events. Jermaine Holt and Tyrell Valentine will run the 400-meter in College Station after earning podiums finishes in Tampa last weekend.
Quivell Jordan, Dayo Akindele and DJ Akindele round out the hurdle personnel for UH. The Akindele brothers are set to compete in the 110-meter hurdles, as Jordan and DJ Akindele highlight the 400-meter hurdles for the Cougars.

A program-best three pole vaulters have qualified for the West Region prelims after sweeping the event at The American Championships. Antonio Ruiz, Christyan Sampy and Ben Percefull are set to compete in the event.

UH will have four competitors in the horizonal jumps, as Benjamin Okafor is set to be the lone UH competitor in the long jump. Jadon Brome, Quinton Stringfellow, Caleb Malbrough are declared athletes for the Triple Jump as all three are set to make their first appearance at the NCAA prelims.

Triston Gibbons will be double duty as he will represent UH in both the Shot Put and Hammer Throw. Miles Marhofer will join Gibbons as a qualifier for the NCAA West Prelims in the Hammer Throw.

Houston will return to action May 27-29 in College Station on the campus of Texas A&M. Competitors will compete for a chance to advance to the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

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--UHCougars.com--