Hazel punches ticket to Nationals on Day Two of NCAA West Prelims

Photo by: Dave Wegiel

Hazel punches ticket to Nationals on Day Two of NCAA West Prelims

05/25/2018 | 10:49:00 | Track and Field

Hazel qualifies for the third time in his career with a season-best effort at the regional meet.

Warren Hazel punched his ticket to the ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 400-meter dash on day two of the 2018 NCAA West Prelims in Sacramento, Calif.

Hazel qualified for the national meet for the third time in his collegiate career after he blistered the track out of lane six to take third in his heat, and sixth overall, with a time of 45.76.The three-time MVC 400m Champion booked his trip to Eugene for the second-straight outdoor season and was just .06 off his collegiate-best time at the event from a year ago of 45.70.

The Old Roads, St. Kitts native will have a chance to become the first Saluki male since Michael Franks in 1985 to earn first-team All-America honors in the 400m dash.

The Saluki women's sprinters were well-represented in the 200m dash. Southern qualified three to the regional meet in the event, tied with Baylor for the most. Bri'Anna Branch faired best of the trio, as she finished 31st with a time of 23.92. Shafiqua Maloney ran 24.34 to finish 42nd while Tyjuana Eason ran 24.92 to place 45th.

Ricky Hurley, who was bidding to become the first Saluki since Ashley Gaston in 2014 to qualify for the national meet in two throwing events after he punched his ticket to the national meet with a 12th place finish in the hammer throw Thursday night, fell just shy of that goal Friday. The Fox River Grove, Ill. native finished 36th in the discus with a toss of 165'-4" (50.39m). He will have another chance to qualify in a second event come Saturday, as he is slated to join Jared Kern in the men's shot put competition at 6:30 p.m. CST.

All three Saluki sprinters will have another opportunity to punch their ticket to the national meet on Saturday as well, as the women's 4x100 relay takes center stage at 8:15 p.m. CST while the women's mile-relay closes out competition at 11:45 p.m. CST. Shauniece O'Neal will throw in her first regional hammer throw competition tomorrow at 2 p.m. CST while Marcellus Fletcher will make his regional debut in the triple jump at 9:30 p.m. CST.