Panther quartet gears up for NCAA West Preliminary Round in Arkansas

UNI track & field at NCAA West Preliminary Round

May 22-25, 2024
John McDonnell Field
Fayetteville, Ark.
WATCH (ESPN+)
LIVE RESULTS

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The 2024 NCAA outdoor track and field season reaches a head for four members of the UNI roster as the Panthers head south to Fayetteville, Arkansas to compete in the NCAA West Preliminary Round at the University of Arkansas' John McDonnell Field.

Jack Sumners (110-meter hurdles), Brendan Safley (pole vault), Spencer Kessel (shot put) and Emma Hoins (3,000m steeplechase) will all look to advance and punch their tickets to Eugene, Oregon and the national finals site in two weeks time. Qualifying for this meet by virtue of a top-48 ranking in their respective events in the west region, each will need to place in the top-12 to extend their seasons.

Live coverage of the meet will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live results also available.

Sumners, a senior from Stratford Upon Avon, England, will make his second NCAA West Prelim appearance after placing 44th in the 110-meter hurdles a year ago in Sacramento. Seeded 46th in this year's field, Sumners won the event twice during the 2024 outdoor season, including at Wartburg's Good Friday Challenge (14.20) and running a career-best time of 13.89 for a win at Drake's Jim Duncan Invitational, the second-fastest wind legal mark in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) this year. He also recorded the top preliminary time in the event at the MVC Outdoor Championships earlier this month (14.05). Sumners is scheduled to run his first round heat at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday, with a potential quarterfinal heat scheduled for Friday at 6:15 p.m. CT.

Making his second consecutive NCAA West Prelim appearance, Safley will look to improve on his 32nd place finish in Sacramento last spring. A three-time champion during this year's outdoor campaign, Safley captured the Jim Duncan Invitational (4.90m), Kip Janvrin Open (4.95m) and Badger Challenge (5.36m) pole vaulting titles, with a career-best mark and the fifth-best mark in school history being cleared at Wisconsin. Seeded 15th in this year's preliminary field, Safely, the 2023 MVC outdoor pole vaulting champion, finished second at this year's conference championships in Normal, Illinois with a 5.10-meter vault. Safely is scheduled to compete at 6:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday.

Kessel will make his NCAA West Prelim debut in the shot put, seeded 46th in the field. The 2024 MVC indoor shot put champion, Kessel won the university/college division title in the event at the Drake Relays with a 17.62-meter toss, while also finishing in second-place early in the outdoor season at the Arkansas Spring Invitational (17.33m). He notched a career-best throw of 17.70 meters in a sixth-place effort at Wisconsin's Badger Challenge and finished fourth at the MVC Outdoor Championships (17.50m). Kessel is scheduled to throw at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday.

Coming off a historic season as a distance runner, Hoins will look to continue her breakout season in her NCAA West Prelim debut in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, seeded 27th. Though she only ran the race three times this spring, Hoins made her mark by setting a new school record in 10:19.19 on her way to a second-place finish at the Drake Relays in April. She won the event at the Arkansas Spring Invitational (10:54.97) and claimed fourth-place at the MVC Outdoor Championships (10:32.44) two weeks ago. Hoins is scheduled to run late Saturday afternoon at 5:40 p.m. CT.

UNI SCHEDULE (2024 NCAA West Preliminary Round)

Wednesday, May 22

6 p.m. CT - Jack Sumners (Men's 110m Hurdles - First Round)
6:30 p.m. CT - Brendan Safley (Men's Pole Vault)
7 p.m. CT - Spencer Kessel (Men's Shot Put)

Friday, May 24

6:15 p.m. CT - Jack Sumners (Men's 110m Hurdles - Quarterfinals)***

Saturday, May 25

5:40 p.m. CT - Emma Hoins (Women's 3,000m Steeplechase)

*** Pending qualification

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