All-American Jordan Geist was one of a record four Arizona throwers to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships via the NCAA West First Round Championships on Wednesday in Sacramento, California.
Geist placed second in the shot put and hammer throw; Zach Landa placed fourth in the shot put; Youssef Koudssi placed sixth in the shot put; and Jared O’Riley placed 12th in the javelin. Additionally, Trayvion White-Austin (Sahuaro High School) advanced to the quarterfinals of the 200 meters on Friday.
“Going forward, we’re all in the same place and we’re all going to be at the national meet, and that’s all that mattered today,” Geist said in a news release. “We’ll get some more preparation in these next couple of weeks to try to show out in Austin.”
The NCAA Championships will be held June 7-10 in Austin, Texas.
Geist began with the hammer throw and qualified on his second attempt at 72.62 meters (238 feet, 3 inches). His qualifying heave in the shot put traveled 20.90 meters (68-7).
Landa (19.98m; 65-6.75) and Koudssi (19.81m; 65-0) both recorded personal bests.
“Today felt amazing,” Landa said. “My first throw was a PR, and you can’t ask for anything better than that. I can’t think of too many schools that have three guys going in one event, so that’s awesome and we’re excited.”
O’Riley advanced to the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row.
The women got underway Thursday.
Arizona track and field senior Talie Bonds ties former Wildcat Nnenya Hailey for the all-time program record in the women's 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.96 seconds in the Willie Williams Classic at Drachman Stadium on Saturday, Mar. 25, 2023. Video by Aidan Wohl/Special to the Arizona Daily Star
