INDIANAPOLIS – Twelve Jackrabbits qualified for the NCAA Track and Field West Prelimaries, announced Thursday by the national organization. The three-day event runs May 25-27 in Austin, Texas.
Qualifiers ranked in the top 48 among declared student-athletes in the west region. Seven Jackrabbit men will compete in a total of eight separate competitions, while five women finished in the top 48 and will compete in five events.
"It's a great step for our program to get 12 competitors in," SDSU coach Rod DeHaven said. "It's a sign that what we're doing here is working and we're continuing to step up our game. We're excited for the prospect of next week and giving our kids a championship experience."
For the men, Alejandro Sanchez is into the 800-meter race after finishing in 1:49.3 at the Bryan Clay Invite, good enough for 28th in the region.
Kyle Burdick, coming off an MVP performance at the 2017 Summit League Championships, qualified in the 1,500- and 5,000-meter races, where he was No. 15 and No. 36 in the region, respectively. Burdick's fastest times this year were 3:42.52 (1,500) and 14:00.84 (5,000).
Joel Reichow posted the region's 11th best time in the 10,000 meters (28:56.24).
Bryant Courter was a two-event qualifier, as well, earning the No. 41 spot in the long jump (24-7 1/4) and the No. 37 spot in the triple jump (50-2 3/4). Both of those performances were championship efforts at last weekend's Summit League outdoor meet.
Josh Dotson snuck into the triple jump, sitting 48th on the qualifier list with a distance of 49-8 1/4.
The high jump will feature Zach Koosman, who reached a height of 7-0 1/4 at this year's Howard Wood Dakota Relays and is 25th on the list.
Colton Bender closed out the men's qualifiers with the No. 41 spot in the hammer throw after he threw a school-record 199-06 at the Summit League Championships.
For the women, Oksana Covey will represent SDSU in the 800-meter race, ranking 41st in the region with a time of 2:08.58.
Rachel King is the women's top qualifier, sitting 14th among 3,000-meter steeplechase competitors after her time of 10:10.71 at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Monique Mack is No. 23 among high jumpers, and at Howard Wood hit 5-10.
Summit League discus runner-up Kasie Vollmer is into the prelims as well, ranking 37th with a throw of 168-06.
SDSU's final qualifier was Silvia Zanini, who will compete in the discus in the 47th spot. Zanini threw 188-02 earlier this year.
Mack, King, Reichow, Sanchez and Koosman are all repeat qualifiers for South Dakota State at the West Preliminaries. Sachez was the highest finisher for SDSU at last year's meet, finishing 19th in the men's 800 meter run.
The top 12 finishers in each event qualify for the Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 7-10.
