BLOOMINGTON, Ind.—Auburn's throwers Madi Malone, Ashley Carter and Shaniya Holley each punched their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships with top 12 performances on Thursday at the NCAA East Preliminaries meet at the Billy Hayes Track & Field Complex on the Indiana University campus.
Malone became the first woman in program history to qualify for three outdoor national championships in the hammer throw after finishing fourth on Thursday with a mark of 67.48m/221-5 on her second of three attempts.
In the javelin throw, senior Ashley Carter qualified for her second consecutive trip to Eugene with a third-place finish with a mark of 53.70m/176-6. Sophomore Shaniya Holley was Auburn's second qualifier in the event after a lifetime-best toss of 50.12m/165-4 on her second attempt was good for the 12th and final position by three inches.
Auburn now has six individuals qualified for the outdoor championships in Eugene, Oregon, June 8-11. On Day One of the East Prelims, hammer thrower Kyle Brown and pole vaulter James Courson qualified for nationals, joining decathlete Alex Spyridonidis, who qualified earlier this season.
Thursday also saw three women advance to Saturday's semifinal round. Transfer Alliyah Francis ran 53.26 in the 400m dash to finish 23rd in first round action and will need to jump 11 spots on Saturday to earn a nation's spot. Senior Presley Weems advanced in the 800m with a qualifying time of 2:05.21, while Asia Jinks was eighth in the 400m Hurdles in 58.09 to move on to Saturday's semis.
The Auburn men will return to action on Friday starting with All-American Dontavious Hill in the high jump at 2:30 p.m. ET, followed by the 4x100m relay at 5 p.m. and Dante Brown at 6:35 p.m. in the men's 100m dash.
A live stream of the NCAA East Preliminaries can be found here. Live stats can be found at https://auburntige.rs/TFEastPrelims.
NCAA EAST PRELIMINARIES
THURSDAY, MAY 26
Women's Hammer
4. Madi Malone 67.48m/221-5 (NCAA Q)
34. Dani Gregory 57.50m/188-8
Women's Javelin
3. Ashley Carter 53.80m/176-6 (NCAA Q)
12. Shaniya Holley 50.12m/164-5 (NCAA Q/PR)
16. Keira McCarrell 49.30m/161-9
Women's Long Jump
31. Essence Thomas 5.81m/19-0.75
32. Janaya Jones 5.80m/19-0.5
Women's Shot Put
38. Maura Huwalt 14.97m/49-1.5
Women's 400m
23. Aalliyah Francis (Q) 53.26
Women's 800m
15. Presley Weems (Q) 2:05.21
Women's 400m Hurdles
8. Asia Jinks (Q) 58.09
34. Tylar Colbert 1:00.21
FRIDAY, MAY 27 SCHEDULE (ET)
2:30 P.M. M High Jump -- Dontavious Hill
5 P.M. M 4x100m Relay -- Auburn
6:35 P.M. M 100m – Dante Brown
