Wednesday, May 26
College Station, Texas
All Day
Abilene Christian
vs
NCAA West Preliminaries
Photo by: Erik Williams / Southland Conference Communications
Wildcats sending 11 to College Station for NCAA West Prelims
5/20/2021 11:59:00 AM | Track & Field
ABILENE -- Eleven members of the Abilene Christian Track and Field program will represent the Purple and White at next week's NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field West Prelims hosted by Texas A&M's E.B. Cushing Stadium. All four days of the meet (May 26-29) will be live streamed on ESPN+.
The men compete exclusively Wednesday and Friday, while the women's events take place Thursday and Saturday. Those who finish in the top 12 of their respective events qualify for the national championships, which take place June 9-12 at Oregon's historic Hayward Field.
ACU's highest-seeded student-athletes are sprinter Taylor Tolen and triple jumper Ella Anttila, both of whom are ranked 13th. Tolen, who won the Southland's 100m crown and won bronze in the 200m and 4x100m relay, has a seed time of 11.34 seconds, which she recorded last weekend in Humble, Texas. Anttila also claimed a conference gold medal in the triple jump behind a distance of 13.28 meters (43 feet-7 inches).
The Wildcats' women's NCAA West prelim roster additionally features 5K and 10K Southland Outdoor Champion Irene Rono, 2019 NCAA qualifier and Second Team All-America (discus) Annina Brandenburg, Southland Indoor high jump champion Zoe Spinn and long jumper Payton Kirk, whose career-best jump of 6.12m (20-1) was recorded earlier this season at ACU's Wes Kittley Invitational.
Rono and Brandenburg are two of the program's most decorated student-athletes in 2020-21, in fact they finished 1-2, respectively, in recent voting for ACU's Paul Goad Award (MVP). Rono this season has only finished lower than third once through 12 races between the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons, and has won her last four races ranging in distance from 1500m to 10K.
Brandenburg, meanwhile, has registered a medal-stand performance through her last nine events, dating back to April 3. At Southland Outdoors she was named the event's Female MVP after scoring a meet-best 28 points with wins in the discus and shot put and second in the javelin. The Dusseldorf, Germany native ranks 18th in the discus and 20th in the shot put.
ACU's men's prelim roster is veteran-laden with Sean Germany, Jamal January, Avery Williams, Thomas Wilson teaming up with freshman sprinter Jack Marshall.
January, Marshall and Williams are all entered in two events. January will first compete in the long jump Wednesday before taking part in the first round of the sprint hurdles. He finished fifth in both events at Southland outdoors. Marshall will then go in the 100m and 200m dashes, while Williams will take part in the 200m and 400m. Marshall is the highest-seeded Wildcat on the men's side with a 16th-ranked 200m time of 20.66, and at that same meet Williams posted a No. 23 ranked mark of 20.72.
Williams competed in six races at Southland outdoors and earned bronze with the 4x100m relay, which also included Marshall, Addison Franklin and Jared Williams (40.63). This prelim trip is the third of Williams' distinguished career. He made it in 2018 and 2019 in both the 400m and with the 4x400m relay.
Germany comes into the meet ranked 23rd in the triple jump and at outdoors he won bronze in his signature event with a leap of 15.75m (51-8.25), while Wilson is ranked 40th in the discus at 50.70m (166-4). Wilson scored his team nine points in the throws at Southlands, which included a third-place showing in the discus.
Wildcats' Schedule
Wednesday, May 26
3 p.m. -- men's long jump (Jamal January)
6 p.m. -- men's 110m hurdles (Jamal January)
7 p.m. -- men's 100m (Jack Marshall)
7:25 p.m. -- men's 400m (Avery Williams)
8:45 p.m. -- men's 200m (Jack Marshall and Avery Williams)
Thursday, May 27
3 p.m. - women's long jump (Payton Kirk)
6 p.m. - women's shot put (Annina Brandenburg)
7 p.m. - women's 100m dash (Taylor Tolen)
9:10 p.m. - women's 10,000m run (Irene Rono)
Friday, May 28
3 p.m. -- men's long jump (Jamal January)
6:45 p.m. -- men's 110m hurdles (Jamal January)
7:05 p.m. -- men's 100m (Jack Marshall)
7:20 p.m. -- men's 400m (Avery Williams)
8:10 p.m. -- men's 200m (Jack Marshall and Avery Williams)
1:30 p.m. -- discus (Thomas Wilson)
3:15 p.m. - triple jump (Sean Germany)
Saturday, May 29
1 p.m. - women's high jump (Zoe Spinn)
1:30 p.m. - women's discus (Annina Brandenburg)
3:15 p.m. - women's triple jump (Ella Anttila)
8:30 p.m. - women's 5,000m (Irene Rono)
The men compete exclusively Wednesday and Friday, while the women's events take place Thursday and Saturday. Those who finish in the top 12 of their respective events qualify for the national championships, which take place June 9-12 at Oregon's historic Hayward Field.
ACU's highest-seeded student-athletes are sprinter Taylor Tolen and triple jumper Ella Anttila, both of whom are ranked 13th. Tolen, who won the Southland's 100m crown and won bronze in the 200m and 4x100m relay, has a seed time of 11.34 seconds, which she recorded last weekend in Humble, Texas. Anttila also claimed a conference gold medal in the triple jump behind a distance of 13.28 meters (43 feet-7 inches).
The Wildcats' women's NCAA West prelim roster additionally features 5K and 10K Southland Outdoor Champion Irene Rono, 2019 NCAA qualifier and Second Team All-America (discus) Annina Brandenburg, Southland Indoor high jump champion Zoe Spinn and long jumper Payton Kirk, whose career-best jump of 6.12m (20-1) was recorded earlier this season at ACU's Wes Kittley Invitational.
Rono and Brandenburg are two of the program's most decorated student-athletes in 2020-21, in fact they finished 1-2, respectively, in recent voting for ACU's Paul Goad Award (MVP). Rono this season has only finished lower than third once through 12 races between the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons, and has won her last four races ranging in distance from 1500m to 10K.
Brandenburg, meanwhile, has registered a medal-stand performance through her last nine events, dating back to April 3. At Southland Outdoors she was named the event's Female MVP after scoring a meet-best 28 points with wins in the discus and shot put and second in the javelin. The Dusseldorf, Germany native ranks 18th in the discus and 20th in the shot put.
ACU's men's prelim roster is veteran-laden with Sean Germany, Jamal January, Avery Williams, Thomas Wilson teaming up with freshman sprinter Jack Marshall.
January, Marshall and Williams are all entered in two events. January will first compete in the long jump Wednesday before taking part in the first round of the sprint hurdles. He finished fifth in both events at Southland outdoors. Marshall will then go in the 100m and 200m dashes, while Williams will take part in the 200m and 400m. Marshall is the highest-seeded Wildcat on the men's side with a 16th-ranked 200m time of 20.66, and at that same meet Williams posted a No. 23 ranked mark of 20.72.
Williams competed in six races at Southland outdoors and earned bronze with the 4x100m relay, which also included Marshall, Addison Franklin and Jared Williams (40.63). This prelim trip is the third of Williams' distinguished career. He made it in 2018 and 2019 in both the 400m and with the 4x400m relay.
Germany comes into the meet ranked 23rd in the triple jump and at outdoors he won bronze in his signature event with a leap of 15.75m (51-8.25), while Wilson is ranked 40th in the discus at 50.70m (166-4). Wilson scored his team nine points in the throws at Southlands, which included a third-place showing in the discus.
Wildcats' Schedule
Wednesday, May 26
3 p.m. -- men's long jump (Jamal January)
6 p.m. -- men's 110m hurdles (Jamal January)
7 p.m. -- men's 100m (Jack Marshall)
7:25 p.m. -- men's 400m (Avery Williams)
8:45 p.m. -- men's 200m (Jack Marshall and Avery Williams)
Thursday, May 27
3 p.m. - women's long jump (Payton Kirk)
6 p.m. - women's shot put (Annina Brandenburg)
7 p.m. - women's 100m dash (Taylor Tolen)
9:10 p.m. - women's 10,000m run (Irene Rono)
Friday, May 28
3 p.m. -- men's long jump (Jamal January)
6:45 p.m. -- men's 110m hurdles (Jamal January)
7:05 p.m. -- men's 100m (Jack Marshall)
7:20 p.m. -- men's 400m (Avery Williams)
8:10 p.m. -- men's 200m (Jack Marshall and Avery Williams)
1:30 p.m. -- discus (Thomas Wilson)
3:15 p.m. - triple jump (Sean Germany)
Saturday, May 29
1 p.m. - women's high jump (Zoe Spinn)
1:30 p.m. - women's discus (Annina Brandenburg)
3:15 p.m. - women's triple jump (Ella Anttila)
8:30 p.m. - women's 5,000m (Irene Rono)
Players Mentioned
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/ Track & Field
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