May 25, 2016
The Auburn track and field team will have 23 athletes competing at the 2016 NCAA East Preliminaries, May 26-28, at Hodges Stadium on the University of North Florida campus. Each will be vying for a spot at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, held June 15-18, in Eugene, Ore.
"This as a collective group is as large as we've had at this meet and definitely the most on the women's side," Auburn head coach Ralph Spry said. "This time of year it's all about competing and executing, and we're in a good place with our training and health. This is an exciting time when you get the chance to go out and compete against the best."
The Tigers have 15 women and eight men competing at the East Prelims, including seven All-Americans. The All-Americans in action for the Tigers include Kahlil Henderson, Shawn Johnson and Teray Smith on the men's team and Rachel Dincoff, Jessie Johnson, Valentina Muzaric, and Marshay Ryan from the women's roster.
"We have a good group of veterans who know the environment of competing in big meets," Spry said. "We also have freshman competing that can learn from the veterans. I'm looking forward to a good weekend. We're familiar with this facility and feel comfortable with the location. It should be an exciting weekend and I believe we have a good shot to have several make it to Eugene."
Nine Auburn athletes have previously competed at the NCAA East Prelims, with 14 getting their first experience at the meet.
For each individual event contested at each of the preliminary sites, the top 48 declared student-athletes were accepted into the competition. For each relay event, the top 24 declared relay teams were accepted into the competition. Combined events (Heptathlon and Decathlon), are not contested at the preliminary sites.
Twelve performers from each preliminary site advance to the NCAA Championships. Entering the weekend the men's 4x100m relay along with Henderson in the 200m (8th) and Johnson in the high jump (9th) are ranked in the top 12. The women have six ranked in the top 12 of the East Region, including Dominique Bullock (long jump), Dincoff (discus, shot put), Johnson (pole vault), Valentina Muzaric (shot put) and Ryan (triple jump).
Eight Tigers will compete on Thursday, beginning with freshman Kylee Carter and senior Alyssa Kopp in the women's javelin throw at 12 p.m. ET. Also competing will be Michelle Atherley and Sashel Brown in the women's 400m hurdles, Randall Cenesus in the men's 400m, Veronica Eder in the women's 10000m, and Bullock in the women's long jump.