Illini Boast 18 Qualifiers to NCAA West Preliminary Round

Men's Track & Field May 17, 2012

Illini Boast 18 Qualifiers to NCAA West Preliminary Round

May 17, 2012

Declaration List

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois men's track and field team boasts 18 qualifiers in 12 events, including the 4x100m relay, to the NCAA West Preliminary Round of Championship at the University of Texas in Austin from May 24-26, as announced by the NCAA and the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Thursday. Two seasons ago, the NCAA switched post-season formats for the outdoor track championships going from four regional sites to East and West preliminary round sites. The East NCAA Preliminary Rounds will be held at the same time in Jacksonville, Fla.

Each preliminary round site will host the top 48 declared athletes, or 24 relay teams, in each event, with the exception of the heptathlon. The preliminary round will serve as the first two rounds of competition for the NCAA Championships, narrowing the field in each event to 12 from each region.

The top 12 performers from each preliminary round site will then advance to compete at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas, from June 6-9.

The Illini are ranked in the top-25 in eight different events, with the 2010 national champion Andrew Riley takes the top spot in the 110m hurdles and ranks No. 16 in the 100m dash. Senior Stanley Azie also ranks in both the 100m and 200m at No. 24 and No. 13, respectively. Senior Kyle Engnell is listed as No. 6 in the 3,000m steeplechase and freshman Davis Fraker is seeded at No. 8 in the hammer throw. The 4x100m relay team boasts the ninth-fastest seed time while sophomore Ryan Lynn is listed at No. 19 in the 800m and freshman Joe McAsey is seeded No. 21 in the event. A full list of Illinois athletes heading to the NCAA Preliminary Round can be found below.

2012 NCAA West Preliminary Round of Championship - Illinois Qualifiers

100m
16. Andrew Riley (10.28)
24. Stanley Azie (10.35)
41. Brandon Stryganek (10.48)

200m
13. Stanley Azie (20.67)
34. Brandon Stryganek (21.09)

400m
47. DJ Zahn (47.34)

800m
19. Ryan Lynn (1:48.30)
21. Joe McAsey (1:48.62)

1,500m
46. Graham Farnsworth (3:46.82)

10,000m
27. Jim Riddle (29:29.27)
28. Hunter Mickow (29:29.44)
42. Colin Mickow (29:48.72)

110m Hurdles
1. Andrew Riley (13.28)
26. Gary Ford (14.08)

3,000m Steeplechase
6. Kyle Engnell (8:46.22)
48. Chris DeSilva (9:01.75)

4x100m Relay
9. Illinois (39.63)
(Andrew Riley, Brandon Stryganek, Jade Ackerman, Stanley Azie)

Pole Vault
37. Matthew Bane (5.19m)

Discus
46. Brandon Noe (52.39m)