AUSTIN, Texas - The Fighting Illini women's track and field team had seven student-athletes compete on the second day of the NCAA West Preliminary Round. Of the seven Orange and Blue participants, two qualified for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon and one kept her hopes of doing so alive. Stephanie Richartz (pole vault) and Kandie Bloch-Jones (high jump) will be traveling to the Nationals Championships from June 10-13, while Breeana Coleman (100m hurdles) hopes to join them after advancing to tomorrow's quarterfinals.

Richartz punched Illinois' first ticket to the NCAA National Championships, tying for fourth in the pole vault with a clearance of 4.24m (13' 11"). Her mark tied with multiple other competitors to establish a new NCAA West Preliminary Round record. A first-team All-American during this year's indoor campaign, she will be making the second trip of her career to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She earned first-team All-America honors at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships after finishing in sixth.

"We came in with a game plan to open up at 14 feet but weather conditions were a little sketchy so we were forced to make changes," said pole vault coach Bryan Carrel. "On Steph's opening jumps, she was dealing with a tailwind that threw off our numbers. Once we made some adjustments, she was able to get over that opening height and it was smooth sailing from there on out. We'll keep working on the little things and she'll be in the mix at the NCAA Championships in a couple of weeks."

Bloch-Jones will be making her first trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships after finishing tied for eighth in the high jump. She cleared her first three attempts without a miss before bowing out with a clearance of 1.78m (5' 10").

"Big winds were throwing off Kandie's approach in warm-ups," said head coach Ron Garner. "She didn't clear a single bar in warm-up period but she made some adjustments and came through clean on her first three jumps. That turned out to be a big deal because it kept her out of the jump-off. I am really pleased with the way she competed and excited for get another chance in a couple weeks. If she is consistent at the NCAA Championships she will be in the mix."

Coleman advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals in the 100m hurdles, grabbing the 22nd qualifying spot with a time of 13.47. She will race again tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. with a spot in the NCAA Championships field on the line. The top-three finishers in each quarterfinal heat of the 100m hurdles, along with the next three fastest times, will advance to Eugene, Oregon.

Nicole Choquette, Jennifer DeBellis, Amanda Duvendack and Britten Petrey also competed on Friday but did not qualify for the NCAA Championships. Needing to be among the top 12 to advance to Eugene, all four Illini came up a bit short.

In the 800m, Duvendack missed qualifying by two places, finishing in 14th in 2:06.20. Choquette finished 19th in 2:08.60.

"I am disappointed for Amanda and Nicole," Garner stated. "They ran really well in each of their races and came up a little bit short. I hurt especially for Amanda since she is a senior. This was her last go-round and she has given everything she has to this program."

DeBellis set a personal-best in the pole vault (4.14m - 13' 7") but finished tied for 16th. Petrey finished 25th in the 3,000m steeplechase, clocking 10:36.57.

"Jenn stole the day with a huge personal record," noted Careel. "She had to move up to a pole that she has some bad history with and she came up just a bit short from being involved in the jump-off. This was a really great end to her season and should give her a lot of confidence heading into next year."

In addition to Coleman, Alyssa Schneider will also be racing on the final day of the NCAA West Preliminary Round. She will be competing in the quarterfinals of the 1,500m, as well as the 5,000m. The 1,500m quarterfinals begin at 6:30 p.m., while the 5,000m is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Similar to the 100m hurdles, the top-three finishers in each quarterfinal heat of the 1,500m, along with the next three fastest times, will advance to Eugene, Oregon. In the 5,000m, the top five from each of the two heats plus the next two fastest times qualify for the NCAA Championships.

A full list of Illinois results and a schedule of remaining Illini competitors can be found below.

Illini Results

Friday, May 29
* = NCAA Championships qualifier
Q/q = qualified for quarterfinals

800m
14. Amanda Duvendack - 2:06.20
19. Nicole Choquette - 2:08.60

100m Hurdles
22. Breeana Coleman - 13.47 q

3,000m Steeplechase
25. Britten Petrey - 10:36.57

Pole Vault
T-4. Stephanie Richartz - 4.24m (13' 11")*
T-16. Jennifer DeBellis - 4.14m (13' 7")

High Jump
T-8. Kandie Bloch-Jones - 1.78m (5' 10")*

Thursday, May 28
Q/q = qualified for quarterfinals

800m
11. Nicole Choquette - 2:08.59 Q
13. Amanda Duvendack - 2:08.85 Q

1,500m
13. Alyssa Schneider - 4:24.21 q

Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, May 30
6:30 p.m. - 1,500m Quarterfinal (Alyssa Schneider)
7:05 p.m. - 100m Hurdles Quarterfinal (Breeana Coleman)
8:05 p.m. - 5,000m (Alyssa Schneider)