Thursday, May 27
Jacksonville, Fla.
All Day
Bowling Green State University
at
NCAA East Region Preliminaries
Iyanna Ross competed in the 400 M on Thursday
Butler Punches Her Ticket to Nationals as Falcons Open NCAA Regional Action
May 27, 2021 | Women's Track and Field
Three of Thursday's four Falcons exceed their seed
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Kaila Butler set a new personal best in the hammer throw on Thursday (May 27), punching her ticket to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. Butler and several of her Bowling Green State University teammates competed in NCAA East Region Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Fla., on Thursday.
The four-day event, hosted by the University of North Florida, is being held at Hodges Stadium.
Zaresha Neal, Savannah Nevels and Iyanna Ross joined Butler in action on Thursday. Neal competed in the shot put, Nevels in the 100 and Ross in the 400, and three of the four Falcons exceeded their seed.
QUOTING COACH SNELLING
"It's great to see Kaila earn a return trip to the NCAA Championships. She continues our long string of qualifiers to the outdoor championships that includes the likes of (Aliyah) Gustafson, (Rachel) Walny and (Brooke) Pleger."
BUTLER ADVANCES TO EUGENE
• Kaila Butler fouled on her first attempt of the day in the hammer throw. On her second throw, however, Butler recorded a career-best distance of 215-7, topping her previous personal best by more than two feet.
• Butler, competing in the third and final flight, vaulted into third place with that effort, all but clinching a top-12 spot and a trip to Eugene for the NCAA National Championships.
• Two other competitors in flight three topped Butler's distance, but she still finished fifth, exceeding her number-10 seed by five spots.
• Butler will advance to the NCAA National Championships in the hammer throw for the second time in her BGSU career. In 2019, she placed 12th at the regional meet with an effort of 61.45m (201-7), qualifying for the national meet, and wound up being named a second-team All-American.
OTHER THURSDAY HIGHLIGHTS
• Zaresha Neal topped her seed by 11 spots in the shot put, placing 29th with an effort of 15.42m (50-7 1/4).
• For Neal, it was her second regional appearance in the event, and she improved her 2019 finish by nine spots.
• Savannah Nevels and Iyanna Ross made their respective regional debuts on Thursday. Nevels, seeded 44th in the 100 M, finished 41st overall with a personal-best time of 11.69.
• Ross, competing in the 400 M,  recorded a 47th-place finish with a time of 56.31.
SURPASSING EXPECTATIONS
• Under tenth-year coach Lou Snelling, the Falcons have sent 36 representatives to the regionals in the past nine-plus years (through Thursday's action). Student-athletes have equaled or bettered their seeds in 29 of those 36 appearances (81 percent).
• Over the course of Snelling's BGSU tenure, every student-athlete seeded in the top 19 at regionals has finished inside the top 12 and advanced to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.
BGSU'S THURSDAY RESULTS
• Hammer Throw – Kaila Butler – 5th – 65.71m (215-7)
• Shot Put – Zaresha Neal – 29th – 15.42m (50-7 1/4)
• 100 M – Savannah Nevels – 41st – 11.69
• 400 M – Iyanna Ross – 47th – 56.31
UP NEXT
• The NCAA East Region Preliminaries continue on Friday and Saturday. Friday is the second day of the men's events, with day two of the women's events on Saturday.
• Neal, Nevels and Ross all return to action on Saturday. Neal will compete in the discus, with the event beginning at 1:30 p.m.
• Brianna Richard competes in the triple jump at approximately 3:15 p.m.
• Bowling Green has sent a relay team to the regional meet for the first time in program history. The 1600 relay team, consisting of Chasatea Brown, Nevels, Ryen Draper and Ross, will compete at approx. 9:15 p.m. That quartet won the MAC Championship both indoor and outdoor, shattering the outdoor school record in the process.
BGSU'S SATURDAY SCHEDULE (with seed & competitor)
1:30 p.m. – Discus (27. Zaresha Neal)
3:15 p.m. – Triple Jump (37. Brianna Richard)
9:15 p.m. – 1600 Relay (19. Chasatea Brown, Savannah Nevels, Ryen Draper, Iyanna Ross)
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• INSTAGRAM | bg_xctrack
• TWITTER | BG_XCTrack
• LIVE STATS (for all four days) | https://dt8v5llb2dwhs.cloudfront.net/OutdoorRegionals/2021/East/index.htm
• VIDEO STREAM (Saturday) | https://team1sports.com/unfospreys/?path=gen&bfplayvid=271359
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The four-day event, hosted by the University of North Florida, is being held at Hodges Stadium.
Zaresha Neal, Savannah Nevels and Iyanna Ross joined Butler in action on Thursday. Neal competed in the shot put, Nevels in the 100 and Ross in the 400, and three of the four Falcons exceeded their seed.
QUOTING COACH SNELLING
"It's great to see Kaila earn a return trip to the NCAA Championships. She continues our long string of qualifiers to the outdoor championships that includes the likes of (Aliyah) Gustafson, (Rachel) Walny and (Brooke) Pleger."
BUTLER ADVANCES TO EUGENE
• Kaila Butler fouled on her first attempt of the day in the hammer throw. On her second throw, however, Butler recorded a career-best distance of 215-7, topping her previous personal best by more than two feet.
• Butler, competing in the third and final flight, vaulted into third place with that effort, all but clinching a top-12 spot and a trip to Eugene for the NCAA National Championships.
• Two other competitors in flight three topped Butler's distance, but she still finished fifth, exceeding her number-10 seed by five spots.
• Butler will advance to the NCAA National Championships in the hammer throw for the second time in her BGSU career. In 2019, she placed 12th at the regional meet with an effort of 61.45m (201-7), qualifying for the national meet, and wound up being named a second-team All-American.
OTHER THURSDAY HIGHLIGHTS
• Zaresha Neal topped her seed by 11 spots in the shot put, placing 29th with an effort of 15.42m (50-7 1/4).
• For Neal, it was her second regional appearance in the event, and she improved her 2019 finish by nine spots.
• Savannah Nevels and Iyanna Ross made their respective regional debuts on Thursday. Nevels, seeded 44th in the 100 M, finished 41st overall with a personal-best time of 11.69.
• Ross, competing in the 400 M,  recorded a 47th-place finish with a time of 56.31.
SURPASSING EXPECTATIONS
• Under tenth-year coach Lou Snelling, the Falcons have sent 36 representatives to the regionals in the past nine-plus years (through Thursday's action). Student-athletes have equaled or bettered their seeds in 29 of those 36 appearances (81 percent).
• Over the course of Snelling's BGSU tenure, every student-athlete seeded in the top 19 at regionals has finished inside the top 12 and advanced to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.
BGSU'S THURSDAY RESULTS
• Hammer Throw – Kaila Butler – 5th – 65.71m (215-7)
• Shot Put – Zaresha Neal – 29th – 15.42m (50-7 1/4)
• 100 M – Savannah Nevels – 41st – 11.69
• 400 M – Iyanna Ross – 47th – 56.31
UP NEXT
• The NCAA East Region Preliminaries continue on Friday and Saturday. Friday is the second day of the men's events, with day two of the women's events on Saturday.
• Neal, Nevels and Ross all return to action on Saturday. Neal will compete in the discus, with the event beginning at 1:30 p.m.
• Brianna Richard competes in the triple jump at approximately 3:15 p.m.
• Bowling Green has sent a relay team to the regional meet for the first time in program history. The 1600 relay team, consisting of Chasatea Brown, Nevels, Ryen Draper and Ross, will compete at approx. 9:15 p.m. That quartet won the MAC Championship both indoor and outdoor, shattering the outdoor school record in the process.
BGSU'S SATURDAY SCHEDULE (with seed & competitor)
1:30 p.m. – Discus (27. Zaresha Neal)
3:15 p.m. – Triple Jump (37. Brianna Richard)
9:15 p.m. – 1600 Relay (19. Chasatea Brown, Savannah Nevels, Ryen Draper, Iyanna Ross)
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• INSTAGRAM | bg_xctrack
• TWITTER | BG_XCTrack
• LIVE STATS (for all four days) | https://dt8v5llb2dwhs.cloudfront.net/OutdoorRegionals/2021/East/index.htm
• VIDEO STREAM (Saturday) | https://team1sports.com/unfospreys/?path=gen&bfplayvid=271359
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Players Mentioned
Multi-Events
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints/Relays
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints/Jumps/Relays
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
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