Trevor Gilreath ended a very prolific career as a Bobcat thrower at the NCAA West Regional meet
Photo by: 406 Photography
Veterans and Newcomers Gain Experience, Advance at NCAA West Regionals
5/29/2014 7:43:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field, Track & Field
Three Bobcats will live to run another day on journey to NCAA Championships
| Thursday Results |
The track events stole the show at the opening day of the NCAA Division I West Region Preliminary on Thursday, May 29. The running events began later in the day at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas essentially forming a lovely nightcap for the Bobcats and a tougher go on the field.
Trevor Gilreath, a pillar of the MSU throws corps during his tenure, despite not moving on to the NCAA Championships June 11-14, in Eugene, Oregon, still had much to be proud of on Thursday. He competed in his fourth consecutive NCAA Regional in the shot put and finished 46th with a throw of 52-00.50 (15.86m). Gilreath's lifetime best throw measured 58-03 (17.75m), coming at the 2013 Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Casey Teska made her NCAA Regional debut, competing in the pole vault. Teska, this year's Big Sky runner-up in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault, faired quite well in her first outing. The sophomore finished 25th in a field of 28, taking 14th in the opening flight with a jump of 12-09 (3.89m). Teska's lifetime best came this past season, launching herself to 13-01.75 (4.01m).
The final field event for MSU on Thursday was Tanner Gambill in his first regional meet javelin throw. Gambill, like his other fellow field athletes, did not advance after placing 38th with a throw of 192-02 (58.59m). He came in 11th in the first flight of the day.
Cristian Soratos, at his first NCAA Regional ran the 1,500 and finished sixth in his heat. In order to advance on to the quarterfinal races, the runner needed to finish among the top five in their respective heats, followed by the next four fastest times. Racing in the fourth heat, he crossed the line in sixth place, narrowly missing the auto-qualifying spot. His time of 3:43.73 was, however, fast enough to secure one of the four at-large spots for Saturday's quarterfinal race. The 1,500 is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start.
In the men's 800, Montana State had two entrants, both of which are veterans at the regional meet. Grant Grosvenor made his third appearance, while Matt Tex returned for his second. In 2013, Grosvenor made it out Regionals to run to a second team All-American performance at the NCAA Championships. Grosvenor and Tex ran in separate heats, each producing very different circumstances in the middle, but the same result in the end. Different from the 1,500, only the top three finishers in each race automatically qualify for the next round with six at-large times.
Tex ran in the third heat and after getting locked in the middle of the pack, he was able to find another gear and finished third. Although his heat was considerably slower than the others, his time of 1:52.44 was fast enough for him to punch his ticket for Friday's quarterfinal. Grosvenor also took the final automatic spot, racing in the sixth and final heat. The Mill Creek, Washington native fought hard to stay out of the middle, toward the front of the group. Like Tex, he kept the pace up until the final 300 meters, making a final push for third place in 1:49.78, one his faster times this season. Both will run on Friday, beginning at 6 p.m.
"Even with a variety of results today, plenty of great momentum here in Arkansas," said head coach Dale Kennedy. "Trevor capped off a truly great career, and while it may not have been exactly how he planned, he has so much to be proud of. Tex and Grant really put together some dramatic finishes in their races to take the next step this weekend."
The track events stole the show at the opening day of the NCAA Division I West Region Preliminary on Thursday, May 29. The running events began later in the day at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas essentially forming a lovely nightcap for the Bobcats and a tougher go on the field.
Trevor Gilreath, a pillar of the MSU throws corps during his tenure, despite not moving on to the NCAA Championships June 11-14, in Eugene, Oregon, still had much to be proud of on Thursday. He competed in his fourth consecutive NCAA Regional in the shot put and finished 46th with a throw of 52-00.50 (15.86m). Gilreath's lifetime best throw measured 58-03 (17.75m), coming at the 2013 Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Casey Teska made her NCAA Regional debut, competing in the pole vault. Teska, this year's Big Sky runner-up in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault, faired quite well in her first outing. The sophomore finished 25th in a field of 28, taking 14th in the opening flight with a jump of 12-09 (3.89m). Teska's lifetime best came this past season, launching herself to 13-01.75 (4.01m).
The final field event for MSU on Thursday was Tanner Gambill in his first regional meet javelin throw. Gambill, like his other fellow field athletes, did not advance after placing 38th with a throw of 192-02 (58.59m). He came in 11th in the first flight of the day.
Cristian Soratos, at his first NCAA Regional ran the 1,500 and finished sixth in his heat. In order to advance on to the quarterfinal races, the runner needed to finish among the top five in their respective heats, followed by the next four fastest times. Racing in the fourth heat, he crossed the line in sixth place, narrowly missing the auto-qualifying spot. His time of 3:43.73 was, however, fast enough to secure one of the four at-large spots for Saturday's quarterfinal race. The 1,500 is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start.
In the men's 800, Montana State had two entrants, both of which are veterans at the regional meet. Grant Grosvenor made his third appearance, while Matt Tex returned for his second. In 2013, Grosvenor made it out Regionals to run to a second team All-American performance at the NCAA Championships. Grosvenor and Tex ran in separate heats, each producing very different circumstances in the middle, but the same result in the end. Different from the 1,500, only the top three finishers in each race automatically qualify for the next round with six at-large times.
Tex ran in the third heat and after getting locked in the middle of the pack, he was able to find another gear and finished third. Although his heat was considerably slower than the others, his time of 1:52.44 was fast enough for him to punch his ticket for Friday's quarterfinal. Grosvenor also took the final automatic spot, racing in the sixth and final heat. The Mill Creek, Washington native fought hard to stay out of the middle, toward the front of the group. Like Tex, he kept the pace up until the final 300 meters, making a final push for third place in 1:49.78, one his faster times this season. Both will run on Friday, beginning at 6 p.m.
"Even with a variety of results today, plenty of great momentum here in Arkansas," said head coach Dale Kennedy. "Trevor capped off a truly great career, and while it may not have been exactly how he planned, he has so much to be proud of. Tex and Grant really put together some dramatic finishes in their races to take the next step this weekend."
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