University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
NCAA East Preliminary
UConn Women Sending Six to NCAA East Preliminary
5/23/2022 10:40:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
STORRS, Conn. – The UConn women's track and field team will send six student-athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary Round at Indiana University this week with a shot at the NCAA Championships on the line.
The meet will begin on Wednesday May 25th at Haugh Track & Field (Bloomington, Ind.) and will run through Saturday, May 28th. Athletes with the top 12 times/marks at both the East and West Preliminary Rounds sites will qualify for the 2022 NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, held on June 8-11 at Hayward Field.
UConn will have 17 total athletes competing this week, eleven men and six women with a shot for a spot in the NCAA title meet field.
"A great situation where indoors is pure performance but outdoors it's head-to-head, on the day," said Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Greg Roy. "You want to make it, move on well here is your chance. I look at this regional meet as our version of the "Sweet Sixteen". This is the NCAA Championship, the first round. If you do what you did to get here, you have a pretty good chance to move on."
Thursday, May 26
100 meter hurdles – Jailya Ash (Voorhees, N.J.)
Freshman Jailya Ash caps off her freshman season with a trip the NCAA Prelims after posting a new PR in the 100 meter hurdles at the BIG EAST Championship. Ash clocked in at 13.58 seconds in the final and earned herself the silver medal in her first medal in her first season of competition. Her time ranked 47th in the East Region this spring.
400 meter hurdles – Gabby Davis (Franklin Park, N.J.)
Freshman Gabby Davis had a strong finish to her rookie campaign capped off by a gold medal win in the 400 meter hurdles at the BIG EAST Championship two weeks ago. Davis captured the title with a time of 1:00.26. Her top time of the outdoor season came at the Navy Spring Invitational II where she broke the UConn school record by clocking in at 59.47 seconds to win. That time was 45th in the East Region this spring.
Hammer – Mikyla Rodgers (South Huntington, N.Y.)
After a stellar indoor season in the weight throw, junior Mikyla Rodgers rolled it right into this spring and qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary round for the first time in her career. Rodgers is coming off a gold medal win in the hammer at the BIG EAST Championship where she set a new PR with a throw of 60.22 meters. Her throw pushed her up to 34th in the NCAA East rankings.
Pole Vault – Emma Chee (Bainbridge Island, Wash.)
Junior Emma Chee kept up her winning ways this spring in the pole vault and successfully defended her BIG EAST Championship with a gold medal win two weeks ago. Chee topped the field with a height of 4.15 meters. She had her best vault this outdoor season at the Navy Spring Invitational II where she broke her own school record with a height of 4.23 meters. She earned four victories this spring. At last season's East Prelim, she finished 21st in the field. Coming in, her best height this spring ranks 15th regionally and 27th in the country.
Saturday, May 28
3000 meter steeplechase – Mia Nahom (New Milford, Conn.)
Senior Mia Nahom heads to the NCAA East Prelim looking to close out her stellar UConn career by earning a trip to the NCAA Championship. Nahom helped spark the Huskies march to the BIG EAST Championship this spring, blazing her way to a Friday night gold medal win in the 3000-meter steeplechase in record breaking fashion. Nahom set a new BIG EAST and UConn school record by clocking in at 9:52.81 for the win. She will run the event at the NCAA East Prelim for the second-straight season after finishing 20th last year. Her time heading in ranks her seventh in the East Region and 17th in the NCAA.
High Jump – Patricia Mroczkowski (Berlin, Conn.)
Junior Patricia Mroczkowski is coming off her best height of the season at the BIG EAST Championship in the high jump. Mroczkowski cleared the bar at 1.86 meters, setting a new PR. She would take silver in the event after a jump off. She was named the BIG EAST Field Athlete of the Week four times this past season. At last year's NCAA East Preliminary meet, she finished 18th in the field. She has worked her way up the rankings all spring and heads into the meet ranked fourth in the East Region and eighth in the nation.
Players Mentioned
