What: NCAA East Preliminary Championships
When: May 22-25
Where: Lexington, Ky. | Outdoor Track & Field Complex (University of Kentucky)
Florida A&M's
Nya Blocker,
Rori Lowe,
Joseph DeRosier,
Katelynn Smith, and
Breanna Brown-Marshall have qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Championship. The meet will be live streamed on ESPN+.
Our Journey Through the East Prelims
For track events, the "Top 3" from each heat plus the next six times (i.e., the "Top 24") will advance to the quarterfinals. From there, the "Top 12" will qualify for the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. (June 5-8).
Brown-Marshall will compete only once, needing to finish "Top 12" to punch her ticket to Oregon.
Wednesday, May 22
Joseph DeRosier | 110 Hurdles (First Round) | 5 p.m. ET
Thursday, May 23
Nya Blocker &
Rori Lowe | 100 Meters (First Round) | 4 p.m. ET
Katelynn Smith | 400 Hurdles (First Round) | 5:20 p.m. ET
Nya Blocker | 200 Meters (First Round) | 5:45 p.m. ET
Saturday, May 25
Breanna Brown-Marshall | High Jump (First Round) | 2 p.m. ET
How We Got Here
The "Top 48" athletes in each individual event qualified for the east preliminary 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.
Rattler History
This year marks the third consecutive that Florida A&M will send multiple athletes to the NCAA East Prelims. A season ago,
Teleda Williams and
Pache' Caldwell represented for the team. Prior to that, it was Rachel Robertson and Jaylyn Scott who qualified for the 2022 regional meet. Robertson was the last Rattler to advance to the NCAA Divison I Outdoor Championships (2022).
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