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FARMINGTON, Utah (June 7, 2021) – An impressive 10 student-athletes from the Big Sky Conference will ascend on Eugene, Ore., this week to compete in the 2021 Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Championships at Hayward Field from June 9-12.
On the first day of NCAA West Preliminary competition in College Station, Texas, both Northern Arizona’s Abdihamid Nur and Idaho’s Zack Short qualified for the final meet of the season.
Nur moved on with an 11
th place finish in the men’s 10,000-meter, clocking in a time of 29:14.43. During the regular season he ran the second-fastest 10K time in the entire NCAA, running a 27:47.27 during the Fresno State West Coast Relays. That mark was also a Big Sky Conference record, and was the sixth-fastest mark in the history of the NCAA when it was hit. The freshman did not compete in the 10K at the 2021 Big Sky Conference Championships, but was the gold medalist in the 5K.
Short qualified in the men’s shot put with a throw of 19.71m (64’ 8”) to finish in fifth place at prelims. That mark was the best of the season for him, and the top mark in the Big Sky all year long. Short was the gold medalist in the shot put at the Big Sky Championships, and also took home the bronze medal in the discus.
When the women took center stage on the second day of preliminary competition, a trio of Big Sky representatives advanced to Eugene.
Eastern Washington’s Morgan Fossen secured the final advancing spot in the women’s pole vault, where she hit a mark of 4.17m (13’ 8 ¼”). Fossen had the top pole vault in the Big Sky this season, hitting a 4.18m (13’ 8 ½”) mark at the 2021 Whitworth H.I.R Invite. She tied for the silver medal at the Big Sky Championships, second to only her teammate Katrina Terry.
The Big Sky also saw a pair of runners advance to Oregon in the women’s 10,000-meter, with both Weber State’s Lexie Thompson and Northern Arizona’s Jessa Hanson moving on to the final round.
Thompson finished in sixth-place with a time of 33:41.75 to secure her spot on the starting line at Hayward Field. Thompson was the gold medalist in both the 10K and the 5K at the 2021 Big Sky Championships on her home track, and broke the all-time Big Sky record during the regular season with a time of 32:49.62 at the Hayward Premiere.
Hanson finished 12
th at prelims to advance with a time of 33:56.97. She did not compete in the 10K at the Big Sky Championships, but secured a fifth-place finish in the 5K. Her mark in Teas was the fifth best in the Big Sky Conference this season.
After a day of delay due to weather, both the men and women were competing on the final Saturday of preliminary action, where five more Big Sky Conference athletes punched their ticket to Hayward Field.
Montana State’s Lucy Corbett advanced to Eugene in the women’s high jump, tying for the top spot in preliminary competition with a mark of 1.82m (5’ 11 ½”). Corbett was the Big Sky gold medalist this season, and secured the top mark in the league this season in Ogden with a 1.83m (6’ 0”).
A fellow Bobcat followed in Corbett’s steps in College Station, as MSU’s Duncan Hamilton advanced in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. He finished in third place with a time of 8:39.02 to advance on to Eugene, and also set the fastest time in the Big Sky Conference this season. Hamilton was the gold medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and the silver medalist in the 1,500-meter.
On the women’s side of the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Weber State’s Summer Allen advanced out of prelims and into nationals with a time of 9:47.51. Allen was the gold medalist in the event at the 2021 Big Sky Conference Championships, where she ran a league-best 9:44.26 after altitude conversion.
A third Wildcat out of Weber State punched her ticket to the NCAA National Championship out in Texas, as Kate Sorensen finished in fifth with a time of 57.59 in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. She was the gold medalist for the Big Sky in both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles, and owns the top times in the Big Sky in both events for the entire season.
Northern Arizona’s Luis Grijalva was able to punch in ticket to Eugene in one of the final events of preliminary competition, as he finished in eighth place with a time of 13:47.00 in the men’s 5,000-meter. Grijalva was named the Most Valuable Athlete at the 2021 Big Sky Conference Championships, scoring 22 points for the Lumberjacks en route to their 24
th outdoor league championship.
Northern Arizona and Weber State lead the Big Sky with three student-athletes heading to Oregon each.