Texas Tanner Punches Ticket to NCAA Championships

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Air Force junior Texas Tanner secured his spot in the finals of next month's NCAA Outdoor Championships on Wednesday, May 28, when he finished third in the hammer throw at the West Prelim in College Station, Texas.

After waiting out two weather delays that pushed the start of the hammer back more than an hour, Tanner opened the three-attempt competition with a 64.80-meter (212'7") throw. He improved that distance to 70.32 meters (230'8") on his next attempt – a throw that secured his spot in next month's NCAA Outdoor Championships. Tanner finished the meet as one of only three throwers to surpass the 70-meter barrier at the NCAA West Prelim – and one of only four to do so between the two Preliminary sites.

Not long after concluding his competition in the hammer throw, Tanner headed to the infield of E.B.Cushing Stadium for the regional final of the shot put where he recorded a throw of 17.58 meters (57'8¼") to finish 37th.

Senior Joe Nizich narrowly missed a spot in the national final of the javelin throw on Thursday, as he finished just 0.24 meters outside of the top 12. Recording the second-best throw of his career – 68.55 meters (224'2") – on his final attempt, the senior placed 13th in the overall field. Nizich was one of two Falcons to compete in the javelin throw, as freshman Brayden Richards – already a national finalist in the decathlon – placed 47th with a distance of 53.93 meters (176'7").

Senior Cooper Stroka joined Tanner among the top 20 of the hammer throw finishers on Wednesday, as he recorded a distance of 64.15 meters (210'5") to place within the top half of the 48-thrower final (20th).

In addition to the field events, one regional final (national semifinal) was contested on the track, as juniors Jayden Nats and Max Sannes finished 39th (29:49.27) and 43rd (30:19.06), respectively. In the 10,000-meter run.

Several opening-round races were also contested tonight in College Station. Freshman Saketh Rudraraju and junior Ben Scheller placed 42nd (3:56.94) and 48th (4:10.09), respectively, in the first round of the 1500-meter run, while senior Javin Bostic finished 34th in the opening round of the 200-meter dash (21.07) and freshman Asher Jenkins placed 41st in the 100-meter qualifying (10.63).

The Falcons remain in Texas for three more days of West Prelim action. The women will be at E.B. Cushing Stadium tomorrow (May 29), with junior India Jones competed in the 10,000-meter run at 9:10 a.m. (CT).

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