USF Track and Field’s Sends 17 Individuals to NCAA East Prelims
Tampa, Fla., May 19, 2022 – The University of South Florida track and field team will send 17 student-athletes to the 2022 NCAA East Prelims hosted by Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. from May 25-28.
"I'm really excited for everyone who earned the opportunity to compete in the NCAA East Preliminary round next week," head coach
Erik Jenkins said. "We look forward to having a quality meet in Bloomington. There have been some tremendous performances across the country this year and the qualification marks reflect that in a multitude of events."
The four-day regionals serve as the qualifying meet for the NCAA National Championship Meet, held in Eugene, Oregon from June 8-11.
Following up on last year's success, both the women's 4x100 team of
Zahria Allers-Liburd (Miami, Fla.),
Shaniya Benjamin (Tampa, Fla.),
Hannah Connell (Bridgetown, Barbados) and
Kadesha Prescott (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) and the 4x400 team of Allers-Liburd, Benjamin, Connell and
Sanique Walker (Manchester, Jamaica) earned a place in the regional competition.
Shaneylix Davila (Kissimmee, Fla.) and Connell both qualified for competition in the 100-meter hurdles. Davila's mark of 13.03 at the South Florida Invitational placed her 10
th in the East Region, while Connell's mark of 13.34 at the AAC Outdoor Championships gave her 21
st.
Michael Bourne III (Midlothian, Va.) qualified for the 110-meter hurdles after posting a 13.71 in the event at the AAC Outdoor Championships. He enters the meet ranked 18
th in the region.
Walker, in addition to her spot on the 4x400 team, also qualified for the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 58.24 at the Penn Relays, she enters the meet ranked 21th in the region. Meanwhile,
Elijah Wright (Naples, Fla.) enters the NCAA East Prelims with a personal-best time of 45.90 in the 400-meter dash, the 15
th best time in the East Region. He posted the time, which is also a USF record, at the AAC Outdoor Championships.
In field events,
Kendall McDaniel (Loganville, Ga.) and Benjamin earned a spot at the prelims in the long jump. Benjamin, who broke the USF record in the event last season, posted a 6.38-meter (20-11.25) leap at the Mt. Sac Relays to earn her qualification mark, while McDaniel entered with a personal-best of 6.12 meters (20-1) that she posted at the Miami Hurricane Invitational.
On the men's side in field events, five individuals will compete in six events. In the pole vault, both
Stone Baker (New Port Richey, Fla.) and
Kobe Babin (Niceville, Fla.) qualified. Baker's mark of 5.23 meters (17-1.75) at the AAC Outdoor Championships and Babin's season-best of 5.15 meters (16-10.75) at the Mt. SAC Relays clinched them the 25
th and 36
th spots, respectively.
Romaine Beckford (Portland, Jamaica), the 2021 NJCAA high jump champion, continued dominance in the high jump this season to earn a spot at the East Prelims. He posted a career-best leap of 2.23 meters (7-3.75) at the Penn Relays, which has tied him for second in the region.
Eron Carter (Palatka, Fla.) qualified in a pair of events. He will represent USF in both the hammer throw and discus events. He broke the USF record with a new personal-best of 61.40 meters (201-5) in the hammer throw at the AAC Outdoor Championships, while also posting a personal-best of 56.93 meters (186-9) in the discus throw at the South Florida Invitational.
David Ajama (Lowell, Mass.) caps USF's qualifications, earning a spot in both the long jump and triple jump. He posted a 7.58-meter (24-10.5) leap in the long jump at the AAC Outdoor Championships to qualify, while also earning a 15.52-meter (50-11) at the same meet in the triple jump to qualify.
About USF Track and Field
The USF track and field team has earned 54 All-America selections and at least one All-American in 10 of the last 12 years, including a record eight athletes claiming 11 honors in 2021. Tampa native Shaniya Benjamin set a program record earning three All-American honors during the 2021 outdoor season, while triple jumper Matthew O'Neal, a 2016 graduate, became USF's first six-time NCAA All-American. Bulls have posted two NCAA runner-up finishes since 2013 - O'Neal (triple jump, 2016) and Courtney Anderson (high jump, 2013). Head coach Erik Jenkins took over the program in 2020 and in the 2021 outdoor season the Bulls posted seven program records and 40 top 10 all-time program marks. USF hosted the 2018 NCAA Track and Field East Preliminary and the 2021 AAC Outdoor Championship at the USF Track and Field Stadium located on the east end of campus.
– #GoBulls –
