TALLAHASSEE, Fla. | Florida A&M's
Nya Blocker,
Rori Lowe,
Joseph DeRosier,
Katelynn Smith, and
Breanna Brown-Marshall will look to add the title of "national champion" to their long list of achievements. The five were recently named participants in the NCAA East Preliminary Championships, the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track & Field and Cross-Country Committee announced on Thursday (May 16).
The "Top 48" athletes in each individual event qualified for the regional meet; the Rattlers' rankings fell as follows:
- Blocker | 100 Meters | 37th in the East
- Lowe | 100 Meters | 42nd in the East
- Blocker | 200 Meters | 28th in the East
- DeRosier | 110 Hurdles | 12th in East
- Smith | 400 Hurdles | 21st in the East
- Brown-Marshall | High Jump | 10th in the East
Nya Blocker | Fr. | Bainbridge, Ga.
Blocker qualified for the NCAA meet just days before the deadline, setting personal records in the 100-meter (11.40) and 200-meter (23.17) races at the PURE Athletics Sprint Elite Meet. The Rattler freshie earned a silver medal in the 100 at the Southwestern Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Rori Lowe | Graduate Student | Bronx, N.Y.
Lowe also competed in the PURE meet, where she ran her fastest 100 in 11.42. The graduate student received a bronze medal in the event at the SWAC Championships.
Joseph DeRosier | Fr. | Millersville, Md.
Representing for FAMU's men's team, DeRosier earned his place at the eastern prelim with a standout performance at the Pepsi Relays (13:55). He has medaled in every 110-meter hurdle final this season.
Katelynn Smith | Fr. | Raleigh, N.C.
Smith punched her ticket to Kentucky at the SWAC meet, with a PR and gold medal performance (57.59) in the 400 hurdles. She has finished "Top 3" in every 400H race this outdoor season.
Breanna Brown-Marshall | Sr. | Birmingham. Ala.
Brown-Marshall is the SWAC's reigning indoor and outdoor high jump champion. She also secured a spot in the eastern prelim with a first-place leap of 1.80 meters (5' 10.75") at the championship meet. Brown-Marshall has collected three HJ wins this season.
Preliminary competition runs Wednesday, May 22, through Saturday, May 25; the University of Kentucky will serve as the host. Those who qualify for the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships – the "Top 12" competitors from each event – will then head to Eugene, Oregon (June 5-8).
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