Bowling Green State University Athletics
Three Falcons Earn Spots At NCAA East Region Preliminary Round
May 19, 2016 | Women's Track and Field
Bowling Green, Ohio – Three Bowling Green State University track and field student-athletes will be representing BGSU at the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round May 26-28 in Jacksonville, Fla. Redshirt sophomore Aliyah Gustafson and junior Makenzie Wheat will compete in the shot put, while redshirt junior Kayla Velasquez will take part in the hammer throw.
Wheat is making her third appearance at the NCAA regional meet, while both Gustafson and Velasquez will make their debut appearances. The top 48 declared competitors in each event qualify for regionals and the top 12 finishers at the meet will move on to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. Twelve competitors from the West region will also advance to the national championships for a field of 24 to vie for a national title.
In the shot put, Gustafson is seeded No. 19 and Wheat is No. 27. Velasquez squeezed into the regionals at No. 44 in the hammer throw. Gustafson won the MAC Championship in the shot put Friday and Wheat finished fifth. Velasquez was fifth in the hammer throw Thursday at the MAC Championships.
Aliyah Gustafson (Shot Put)
Gustafson made a splash in the shot put this year after an ACL injury forced her to miss the entire outdoor season a year ago. She has posted the second, fourth and ninth-best shot put performances in program history this year, throwing as far as 51-feet-11. Her toss of 51-4.5 on her last chance at the MAC Championships pushed her from seventh to first.
How To Qualify For Nationals: In the East region preliminary round, the shot put will be broken up into four flights of 12 competitors. Each of the 48 student-athletes will get three throws and the top 12 will advance to the NCAA National Championships.
Gustafson's NCAA Regional History
First Appearance
Makenzie Wheat (Shot Put)
Wheat has continued to be a consistent performer for the Falcons. As a freshman, she earned the final spot at regionals and failed to make a legal throw at the meet. Last year, she was seeded No. 24 and finished 19th. This year, she enters as the No. 27 seed.
How To Qualify For Nationals: In the East region preliminary round, the shot put will be broken up into four flights of 12 competitors. Each of the 48 student-athletes will get three throws and the top 12 will advance to the NCAA National Championships.
Wheat's NCAA Regional History
Shot Put – 2014, 48th place (no mark); 2015, 19th place (50-2)
Kayla Velasquez (Hammer Throw)
Velasquez qualified for her first NCAA regional competition and was helped by a strong performance at the MAC Championships, throwing a personal best 186-6, a full foot further than she tossed when she won the Toledo Dual meet. Bowling Green's Brooke Pleger advanced to the national championships in each of the past three years in the hammer throw, setting meet and stadium records last year with a toss of 222-2.
How To Qualify For Nationals: In the East region preliminary round, the hammer throw will be broken up into three flights of 16 competitors each. Each of the 48 student-athletes will get three throws and the top 12 will advance to the NCAA National Championships.
Velasquez's NCAA Regional History
First Appearance
NCAA East Region Preliminary Round Schedule Of Events
Thursday, May 26
4:00 pm – Hammer throw (Kayla Velasquez)
Saturday, May 28
3:30 pm – Shot put (Aliyah Gustafson, Makenzie Wheat)
Wheat is making her third appearance at the NCAA regional meet, while both Gustafson and Velasquez will make their debut appearances. The top 48 declared competitors in each event qualify for regionals and the top 12 finishers at the meet will move on to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. Twelve competitors from the West region will also advance to the national championships for a field of 24 to vie for a national title.
In the shot put, Gustafson is seeded No. 19 and Wheat is No. 27. Velasquez squeezed into the regionals at No. 44 in the hammer throw. Gustafson won the MAC Championship in the shot put Friday and Wheat finished fifth. Velasquez was fifth in the hammer throw Thursday at the MAC Championships.
Aliyah Gustafson (Shot Put)Gustafson made a splash in the shot put this year after an ACL injury forced her to miss the entire outdoor season a year ago. She has posted the second, fourth and ninth-best shot put performances in program history this year, throwing as far as 51-feet-11. Her toss of 51-4.5 on her last chance at the MAC Championships pushed her from seventh to first.
How To Qualify For Nationals: In the East region preliminary round, the shot put will be broken up into four flights of 12 competitors. Each of the 48 student-athletes will get three throws and the top 12 will advance to the NCAA National Championships.
Gustafson's NCAA Regional History
First Appearance
Makenzie Wheat (Shot Put)Wheat has continued to be a consistent performer for the Falcons. As a freshman, she earned the final spot at regionals and failed to make a legal throw at the meet. Last year, she was seeded No. 24 and finished 19th. This year, she enters as the No. 27 seed.
How To Qualify For Nationals: In the East region preliminary round, the shot put will be broken up into four flights of 12 competitors. Each of the 48 student-athletes will get three throws and the top 12 will advance to the NCAA National Championships.
Wheat's NCAA Regional History
Shot Put – 2014, 48th place (no mark); 2015, 19th place (50-2)
Kayla Velasquez (Hammer Throw)Velasquez qualified for her first NCAA regional competition and was helped by a strong performance at the MAC Championships, throwing a personal best 186-6, a full foot further than she tossed when she won the Toledo Dual meet. Bowling Green's Brooke Pleger advanced to the national championships in each of the past three years in the hammer throw, setting meet and stadium records last year with a toss of 222-2.
How To Qualify For Nationals: In the East region preliminary round, the hammer throw will be broken up into three flights of 16 competitors each. Each of the 48 student-athletes will get three throws and the top 12 will advance to the NCAA National Championships.
Velasquez's NCAA Regional History
First Appearance
NCAA East Region Preliminary Round Schedule Of Events
Thursday, May 26
4:00 pm – Hammer throw (Kayla Velasquez)
Saturday, May 28
3:30 pm – Shot put (Aliyah Gustafson, Makenzie Wheat)
Players Mentioned
Throws
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