COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Thursday was women’s events day at the NCAA West First Round at E.B. Cushing Stadium and the UTSA women’s track & field team advanced freshman Selma Ims to Saturday’s next round, making it both genders reaching the 400m hurdles quarterfinal.
Pacing eight individual competitors in Thursday’s events, Ims, the Sandnes, Norway freshman, stuck to her race plan in the 400m hurdles first round and reaped the dividends. The rookie finished second in the opening heat with a 57.90 clocking, earning the top-3 qualification to Saturday’s quarterfinal at Cushing Stadium. A steady race to earn the next round, Ims finished at 17th overall in the opening-round field.
The day’s competition opened with UTSA’s most-populated event, as Dingli, Malta senior Rachela Pace topped four UTSA performers in the first of her two events in the regional. Competing in the long jump, Pace recorded a 6.30m (20-8) measurement to finish 18th overall. Right behind Pace, London, England senior Oreoluwa Adamson and Frederikstad, Norway sophomore Ida Breigan each went 6.25m (20-6.25) for 21st and 22nd, respectively. Making her first career regional appearance, Golnik, Slovenia freshman Brina Likar went 6.07m (19-11) to finish 30th.
In long sprints, Carpenedolo, Italy senior Fatoumata Kabo was 0.36 seconds shy of her career best in the 400-meter, coming in at 53.74 for 34th place. In the final UTSA event of the evening, Romford, England senior Kiah Dubarry-Gay was 47th in the 200-meter final with a time of 25.31.
Also competing in the women’s shot put, South Sioux City, Nebraska sophomore Nyaluet Diew was unable to toe the line and had three scratches in her event.
Ims will run the 400m hurdles final on Saturday at 7:25 p.m., ahead of UTSA’s 4x400-meter squad with a meet-closing 8:45 p.m. start. Friday’s action for the men will look nearly identical, as Cysoing, France senior Hugo Menin will look to move up from his 10th-place position in the 7:25 p.m. 400m hurdles quarterfinal, closing out the meet with the men’s 4x400m relay at 8:45 p.m.
Led by the top 3 in each heat, the top 12 performers in each of Friday and Saturday’s events will punch their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, running June 11-14.
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