The Auburn men's and women's track and field teams finished the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships Saturday, where 15 athletes received automatic bids to compete in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship meet in June. The two teams finished fourth and fifth respectively.
Twenty-six Auburn student-athletes boarded a bus to Louisville, Ky., Friday with the hopes of earning a bid to the NCAA Championships.
"Our main focus was to get everybody to advance to nationals." said head coach Ralph Spry. "It is such a competitive championship. I wanted both teams to be in a position to be a factor at the National Championships."
The top five athletes in individual events and the top three relay teams received automatic bids. Those who finished in the top 12 still have an opportunity to get to nationals by way of an at-large bid. One such athlete is sophomore Michael DeHaven.
DeHaven, whose men's 200 meter time ranked ninth nationally entering the weekend, finished sixth in that event, narrowly missing an automatic bid by one place. Although he would have preferred an automatic spot, he remains confident he will receive a bid to nationals.
"My body of work over the whole season and my top mark in the season should be enough to get me an at-large bid," DeHaven said.
DeHaven, along with freshman Marcus Rowland, sophomore Stephen Fly and senior Jerod Wims made up the men's 4x100 relay team that finished third, qualifying them for nationals with an automatic bid.
Rowland also qualified in the men's 200 meters and was seemingly a shoe-in to qualify for the 100 meter event with his previous time ranking him tied for fourth in the nation. Unfortunately, Rowland was disqualified from the event because of a false start.
Sophomore Joanna Atkins received her automatic ticket to nationals by finishing third in the women's 400 meters. Atkins then teamed up with freshman CeCe Williams and fellow sophomores Cache Armbrister and Latoya Parkinson to finish second in the women's 4x400 relay. Armbrister also finished second in the women's 200 meters.
Atkins said that she likes to fly solo on the track but maintains that it is important to be a part of the team.
"I prefer individual events, but I'll do anything to help the team; anything to help a teammate get to the next level," Atkins said.
In total, the Tigers had 15 athletes: nine men and six women, receive automatic bids to the NCAA Championships. Auburn's other qualifying athletes include Felix Kiboiywo in 1500 meters, Girma Mecheso in 10,00 meters, Jean-Pierre Weerts in 5,000 meters and Erik Werskey in the shot put event. Danielle Gilchrist qualified in 400-meter hurdles, and both Raevan Harris and Ryan Fleck qualified in the high jump.
Spry said that he was proud of his team, citing the women's 4x100 meter relay and Rowland's false start as the only setbacks of the day. Despite the slip-up, Spry still named Rowland as one of his most impressive athletes.
"Marcus Rowland and Joanna Atkins have been unbelievable all year long," Spry said. "They are both really young relentless competitors."
The Tigers now find themselves looking forward to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, June 10-13, in Fayetteville, Ark.
Atkins says the most important aspect of her preparation for nationals is simply focus.
"I just need to stay focused on the big picture. I can't let little things distract me." Atkins said.
DeHaven echoed Atkins thoughts of mental preparation, saying that the team should not get over excited for nationals.
"We've had big meets before, DeHaven said. "We just have to treat it like any other meet."
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