Tigers earn 29 bids to NCAA East Preliminaries

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Todd Drexler/SESPORTSMEDIA.com

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn track & field begins on the road to NCAA Outdoor Championships with a stop at the NCAA East Preliminaries at the Billy Hayes Track & Field Complex in Bloomington, Indiana, May 25-28. A total of 29 Auburn student-athletes will compete in 15 individual events and two relays in hopes of making it to the national championships in Eugene, Oregon, June 8-11.
 
Both the East and West Preliminaries will take the top 12 finishers in each event, with all 24 squaring off for top honors at NCAA Championships. The West Preliminaries will be held at the University of Arkansas, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. 
 
On the women's side, the Tigers will have 16 competitors while the men will send 13. Of the 29 competing, four Auburn women, Ashley Carter, Joyce Kimeli, Madi Malone and Presley Weems have previously competed at NCAA Outdoors.
 
Another NCAA Outdoors veteran, senior Alex Spyridonidis, has already punched his ticket to Nationals in the decathlon. Spyridonidis was fifth in the decathlon a year ago.

Auburn Prelims Qualifiers
 
Men's 100m
Dante Brown
 
Men's 1500m
Cooper Atkins
Ryan Kinnane
 
Men's 4x100m Relay
Dante Brown, Jevony Murray, Jason Reese, Brandon Smiley (David Edmondson & Tray Reynolds)
 
Men's High Jump
Dontavious Hill
 
Men's Pole Vault
James Courson
 
Men's Hammer
Kyle Brown
Erik Ebel
Kyle Moison
 
Women's 400m
Aalliyah Francis
 
Women's 400m Hurdles
Tylar Colbert
Asia Jinks
 
Women's 800m
Presley Weems
 
Women's 3000m Steeplechase
Joyce Kimeli
 
Women's 5000m
Joyce Kimeli
 
Women's 4x400m Relay
Tylar Colbert, Asia Jinks, Jen Dietrich, Aalliyah Francis (Niya Benton-Andrews)
 
Women's Hammer
Dani Gregory
Madi Malone
 
Women's Shot Put
Maura Huwalt
 
Women's Javelin
Ashley Carter
Shaniya Holley
Keira McCarrell
 
Women's Discus
Maura Huwalt
Jocelynn Budwig
 
Women's Long Jump
Janaya Jones
Essence Thomas