TCU Track & Field: "We Going To The 'Ship!"
The Horned Frogs were showing out at the NCAA West Regionals for Track & Field. The competition was stiff, but the Horned Frogs managed to get nine competitors to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Kasey Staley became the first Horned Frog to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Day Two of the NCAA West Regional. Staley will head to Eugene, Ore. to compete in the pole vault.
The graduate student cleared 4.21m (13-9.75) to place fifth overall. Staley is fresh off garnering bronze at this year’s Big 12 Championships with her school-record height of 4.30m (14-1.25). She currently holds both indoor and outdoor school records in the pole vault.
Chengetayi (Du) Mapaya qualified for his fourth NCAA Outdoor Championship with a leap of 17.07m (56-0). The senior is fresh off winning his third consecutive Big 12 Triple Jump Championship and his fifth overall title. With that mark, Mapaya takes over as the NCAA leader in the triple jump and is No. 7 in the world.
The 4x100 team of Bryson Stubblefield, Tinotenda Matiyenga, Kundai Maguranyanga, and Robert Gregory Jr. clocked a 38.89 to finish third in their heat and automatically qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. It was the fourth sub-39 time the 4x100 team has run this season.
Adding to TCU's stellar day in the relays was the 4x400 advancing to Eugene. The team of Maguranyanga, Simbarashe Maketa, Gregory and Matiyenga ran a 3:02.17, the third-fastest time in school history to win their heat and automatically qualify for the NCAAs.
Gregory and Matiyenga capped off their spectacular day by qualifying in the 200m. Gregory finished fifth overall in the quarterfinals with a time of 20.40 and Matiyenga finished 12th with a time of 20.61.
In the triple jump, Jaren Holmes qualified for Nationals for the first time in his career with a leap of 15.88m (52-1.25). He qualified on his final jump.
Gracie Morris and Grace Anigbata are headed to Eugene after qualifying in the 1500m and triple jump, respectively, on the final day of the NCAA West Regional.
Anigbata broke the school record on her first jump with a wind-legal mark of 13.48m (44-2.75). That mark gave her a sixth-place finish and punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She will be making her second NCAA appearance this year as she qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships as well.
Morris had a phenomenal last 200 meters in which she went from sixth to third, finishing with a time of 4:19.50. The 1500m school-record holder placed third in her heat and sixth overall to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The Horned Frogs just keep on making history this year, and people got their eye on Fort Worth. We know these athletes are going to put on a performance. Du Mapaya has even called competitors on Instagram telling them bring their 'A' game. So get your popcorn ready because we are expecting some shiny hardware to be brought back!
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