May 24, 2016
FULL NOTES and SCHEDULE
RENO, Nev. - The Nevada Wolf Pack track & field squad will send seven of its athletes to the NCAA Track & Field Championships preliminary round to compete Thursday through Saturday in an attempt to qualify for the national finals.
Hurdler Fiyin Olusola, sprinter Makeya White, high jumpers Nicole Wadden and Kinsey Minter and javelin throwers Raffaela Wiesbeck, Alyssa Zunino and Katia Coquis-Lossio make up the list of Nevada qualifiers to the preliminary rounds of the national championship. The seven were selected after ranking among the top 48 entries in the West Region. Olusola highlights the group, coming in at 18th among all 100 meter hurdlers. The top 12 finishers in each event will move onto the final round of the championships.
Not only will Olusola be attempting to qualify for the next round, but the junior also has the Nevada 100m hurdle record in her sights. While taking the silver medal at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships, Olusola also came just .01 seconds short of claiming her third school record of the year. Always racing up to her competition, look for Olusola's determination and speed to propel her to an even lower time. The 100m hurdle preliminary race will take place on Friday at 5:30 p.m. CDT with the quarterfinal race taking place Saturday at 7:05 p.m. CDT.
White will be joining Olusola on the track, taking on the 100m dash. The sophomore is coming off a strong performance at the MW Championships, where she placed eighth in the sprint after missing the podium for the 60m dash in the indoor season. White will enter the race ranked 40th among her competitors. The 100m dash prelim race will be held at 6:30 p.m. CDT on Thursday. White can then advance to the quarterfinals, held at 6:30 p.m. CDT Friday.
Wadden and Minter will be seeking to qualify for the final round in the high jump. Minter, a senior, enters the competition ranked in a tie for 21st on the heat sheet after starting the season strong, tying her personal record of five feet and 9.25 inches (1.76m). Wadden falls in just behind Minter in a tie for 36th. The junior enters competition with a best mark of five feet and 8.75 inches (1.75m). The high jump competition is slated for Friday at 5 p.m. CDT.
After a late scratch, senior Alyssa Zunino will join fellow javelin throwers senior Raffaela Wiesbeck and sophomore Katie Coquis-Lossio at the preliminary round. The trio, ranked top ten in the nation for the entire outdoor season, will be looking to carry some momentum from conference championships where all three earned a spot on the podium. Wiesbeck and Coquis-Lossio will actually enter competition with an identical mark of 155 feet and five inches (47.37m) for a tie at 34th in the region. Zunino rounds out the group at 48th and with some great potential. The javelin will be thrown Thursday at 12 p.m. CDT.
The meet will be live streamed at kuathletics.com/watch/ while live results can be found at ncaa.com. Fans can also follow along on Twitter with @WolfPackTrack.
