Six Auburn athletes have qualified to perform on college indoor track and field’s biggest stage.
Five women and one man advanced to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships with their performances at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships last weekend.
Jessie Johnson, Michelle Atherley, Marshay Ryan, Samantha Scarlett and Jonielle Smith qualified for the women’s team.
Johnson broke her own school record for the third time this year in the pole vault last weekend, clearing 14 feet, 5.25 inches. She is competing in the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive season after finishing fifth last year.
Atherley set a personal-best at the SEC Championships with 4,148 points in the pentathlon, a school record. The true freshman claimed the last spot at NCAA Championships, qualifying 16th despite only competing in the event twice this season.
Ryan, who is ranked 10th nationally in the triple jump, will be making her second appearance at nationals after a runner-up finish in 2014.
Scarlett is making her third straight appearance at NCAAs. She enters ranked ninth in the country in the 60-meter high hurdles, looking to improve on her previous two finishes of 10th and 11th.
Smith qualified in the 60-meter dash but will not compete due to an injury.
One lone qualifier for the men’s team was Shawn Johnson.
He enters the championships ranked fifth nationally in the triple jump with a mark of 53 feet, 10.5 inches. He is the first Auburn athlete to qualify for nationals since 2004.
The NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held at the Birmingham CrossPlex on March 11-12.
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