LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Washington State's CJ Allen and Liz Harper punched their tickets to the NCAA Track & Field Championships next month amid high humidity and another weather delay at the NCAA West Region Preliminary Rounds at the University of Kansas Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence Friday.
The NCAA West Prelims Thursday competition was suspended due to thunderstorms that brought lightning, severe wind and driving rain throughout the afternoon and evening, and the NCAA officials revised and condensed all the events to take place Friday and Saturday. One revision was drastic in that all the first round competitions for the 100m, 200, 400, 800, and hurdles races were dropped and the races at the West Prelims became quarterfinals with the heat winners and the next six fastest times advancing to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, June 8-11. Additionally, the pole vault, high jump and women's long competitions were moved indoors. Of the 48 competitors in each event, only 12 advance to the NCAA Championships.
CJ Allen, a junior from Allyn, Wash., ran the men's 400m hurdles in a time of 50.77 seconds, the second-fastest time of the quarterfinals, to advance to the semifinals in Eugene. Allen, the reigning Pac-12 champion, was leading in the first of the six heats until the final three meters when Sean Pille from Nebraska passed him and finished first in a time of 50.72.
Junior heptathlete Liz Harper (Missoula, Mont.) was scheduled to compete in the women's 400m hurdles but when the meet was condensed she withdrew and only competed in the high jump where she advanced and will high jump in addition to her seven heptathlon events. Harper cleared 5-9 1/4 (1.76m) on her second try and then missed all three attempts at 5-10 3/4 (1.80m) but there was a three-way tie at 11th. During the “jump off,” all three missed at 5-10 3/4 (1.80m), at 5-10 (1.78m), and again at 5-9 1/4 (1.76m). Finally, Harper, jumping third, cleared 5-8 1/2 (1.74m), joining Nebraska's Ruth Czuth in a tie for 11th in the overall competition, with both advancing to the NCAA Championships.
Teammate Lateah Holmes cleared 5-7 1/4 (1.71m) on her second try but missed all three attempts at 5-9 1/4 and finished 24th. Kiana Davis also cleared 5-7 1/4 but on her third try and then missed all tries at 5-9 1/4 to finish 27th.
In the men's 3000m steeplechase, the top three finishers in each heat advanced and Forrest Shaffer (senior, Petaluma, Calif.) finished fourth in the first heat in a time of 8:51.68, just off his PR run this year of 8:51.63. Shaffer's time Friday was 13th-best so he missed out on advancing to the semifinals in Eugene by 39/100s second.
Thane Pierson (senior, Naches, Wash.) cleared 6-11 1/4 (2.12m) in the men's high jump for 14th place. The 2016 Pac-12 champion cleared the opening bar of 6-7 1/2 (2.02m) on his first try, needed two attempts to clear 6-9 1/2 (2.07m), but missed all three attempts at 7-1 (2.16m). His high jump PR is 7-3 (2.20m).
Other Cougars who competed in the NCAA West Prelims but did not advance to the NCAA Championships included:
MEN
Ja'Maun Charles, 100m: 10.77 - 44th
Matthew Swanson, 800m: PR 1:50.04 - 24th
Michael Williams, 10,000m: 30:12.98 - 19th
John Whelan, 10,000m: 30:57.06 - 39th
Austin Sodorff, pole vault: 16-4 (4.98m) - 32nd
Travis Pickett, hammer: PR 196-11 (60.03m) - 26th
Brad Stevens, javelin: 213-7 (65.11m) - 20th
WOMEN
CharLee Linton, 10,000m: 35:51.17 - 29th
Kelsie Taylor, javelin: season-best 152-3 (46.42m) - 26th
The final day of the NCAA West Region Preliminary Rounds is Saturday, May 28, with field events beginning at 9 a.m. CT and running events beginning at 10 a.m. CT.