Courtesy of Air Force Athletics
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Air Force junior Darek Hackett secured his spot to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships this afternoon (May 24), during a strong performance in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA West Preliminary in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Hackett, the Falcons’ first intermediate hurdler to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships since 2003, punched his ticket to the national meet after finishing second in his heat of the West final with a time of 50.95. As the top three finishers from each heat earned an automatic bid to next month’s meet at Oregon’s Hayward Field, Hackett guaranteed his place in the next round with that runner-up finish.
Two other Falcons also competed on the track at John McDonnell Field this afternoon. Classmate Jason Renze narrowly missed an advancing spot in the 3000-meter steeplechase, finishing 13th out of 48 runners (8:49.66) in the event’s only race of the West Prelim, while fellow junior Javin Bostic clocked a 200-meter time of 20.81 to finish 20th in the second round of the 200-meter dash.
From the field, sophomore Texas Tanner finished 16th in the discus throw following a distance of 56.04 meters (183’10”) on his final attempt, while junior Jalan Rivers tied for 25th in the high jump with a clearance of 2.09 meters (6’10¼”) – his second-highest attempt of the season.
The Falcons close out the West Preliminary of the NCAA Outdoor Championships tomorrow (May 25), when senior Rachel Crytser and junior Halle Hamilton compete in the steeplechase and 5000-meter run, respectively. Action is currently slated to begin for the two Air Force women at 4:40 p.m. (CT).
