INDIANAPOLIS – NCAA Track and Field Preliminary Round declarations were announced Thursday afternoon, with Indiana State track and field set to send 16 student-athletes to the NCAA East Preliminary Round May 22-25 in Lexington, Kentucky.
 
To qualify, athletes must be among the top 48 in an individual event, or in the top 24 as a relay team. The top 12 finishers in each event at the East First Round will advance to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships. Indiana State has one relay team that qualified, along with 12 entries in individual events.
 
Among the Sycamore contingent selected to the NCAA East Preliminary Round, seven athletes have prior NCAA Preliminary Round experience, with Elias Foor, Daunte Majors, Brett Norton, Terrance O'Bannon, Shomari Rogers-Walton, Will Staggs and Isiah Thomas all reaching regionals for at least the second time in their careers.
 
Indiana State has a trio of entries ranked inside the top 10 in the NCAA East Region, led by Shomari Rogers-Walton ranking sixth in the long jump with a mark of 7.89m (25-10.75). Will Staggs sits ninth in the pole vault (5.50m/18-00.25) and Elias Foor ranks 10th in the discus (59.51m/195-04) for the Trees. Rogers-Walton (triple jump, 15.33m/50-03.50) and Foor (hammer throw, 62.29m/204-04) will both compete in multiple events for the Sycamores at the NCAA East First Round.
 
Rachel Mehringer leads Indiana State's women's entries for the regional round and is the top-ranked Sycamore entry in the track events. Mehringer enters the NCAA East First Round seeded 14th in the 100m hurdles with her top-ranked time coming in at 13.05. Mehringer is one of two entries on the track for the Sycamores, with the other being the men's 4x100m relay which comes in seeded 20th with a school-record time of 39.64.
 
In addition to Foor, two more Sycamore throwers will compete for the Blue and White in Lexington. Brett Norton is seeded 30th in the shot put at 18.37m (60-03.25), while Lillian Gibbs makes her NCAA East First Round debut seeded 45th in the javelin at 45.32m (148-08).
 
Six of Indiana State's qualifiers in the NCAA East First Round will be first-time participants, including a pair of horizontal jumpers who made their marks at the MVC Outdoor Championships. Ali Ilupeju won the long jump at the conference championships with his career-best mark of 7.64m (25-00.75) and is seeded 33rd. Jaden Smith jumped a career-best 15.29m (50-02.00) to place second at the conference championships and is seeded 43rd.
 
Indiana State has a pair of upperclassmen on the women's side making their NCAA East First Round debut. Brooklyn Giertz-Pfaff is seeded 25th in the pole vault after clearing a career-best 4.15m (13-07.25) in April, while Grace Quinlan is seeded 28th in the high jump following her outdoor career-best clearance of 1.76m (5-09.25) at the MVC Outdoor Championships.
 
Heat sheets for each event will be made available prior to the start of the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
 
The 2024 NCAA East First Round is slated for May 22-25 at the UK Outdoor Track and Field Complex in Lexington, Kentucky, with the 2023 NCAA Outdoor National Championships scheduled for June 5-8 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The top 12 in each event at the NCAA East Preliminary Round will advance to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships
 
Indiana State 2024 NCAA First Round Qualifiers

• Shomari Rogers-Walton – long jump (tied-sixth, 7.89m/25-10.75), triple jump (40th, 15.33m/50-03.50)
• Will Staggs – pole vault (tied-ninth, 5.50m/18-00.25)
• Elias Foor – discus (10th, 59.51m/194-03), hammer throw (38th, 62.29m/)
• Rachel Mehringer – 100m hurdles (14th, 13.05)
• Terrance O'Bannon, Daunte Majors, Isiah Thomas, Casey Hood, Jr. – 4x100m relay (Tahj Johnson, Collin Forrest, Shomari Rogers-Walton – alternates) (20th, 39.64)
• Brooklyn Giertz-Pfaff – pole vault (tied-25th, 4.15m/13-07.25)
• Grace Quinlan – high jump (tied-28th, 1.76m/5-09.25)
• Brett Norton – shot put (30th, 18.37m/60-03.25)
• Ali Ilupeju – long jump (33rd, 7.64m/25-00.75)
• Jaden Smith triple jump (43rd, 15.29m/50-02.00)
• Lillian Gibbs – javelin (45th, 45.32m/148-08)

 
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