Maroszek, Stigler Punch Tickets to Eugene on Day Two of West Prelim

NCAA West Preliminary
John McDonnell Field // Fayetteville, Arkansas

Junior Michael Stigler cruised through to the NCAA Championships by way of his third-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles Friday in Fayetteville.
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Kansas track & field teams saw two more Jayhawks advance to the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships by virtue of their top-12 finishes at the West Preliminary inside John McDonnell Stadium Friday. Those who are moving on will compete at the national meet, hosted by the University of Oregon, to be held June 11-14 in Eugene, Ore.
 
A pair of Jayhawks turned in impressive performances to secure their spots at the NCAA Championships in two weeks. One of those athletes was Jessica Maroszek, who made quick work of the rest of the 48-woman field in the discus. The senior, who won her second-straight Big 12 title in the event three weeks ago, only needed three fair attempts to extend her season by two weeks. Her fourth attempt of 54.99 meters (180’5″) was her best of the night and marked the fourth-time she has eclipsed the 180-foot mark this year. Maroszek will look to bring home her third First Team All-America honor in the event as she moves on to the NCAA discus final set to take place Thursday, June 12 at 4 p.m. (CT).
 
Michael Stigler again proved he was among the top 400-meter hurdlers in the nation as he earned a spot to his third-straight National meet. The junior has handed an unfamiliar loss in Friday night’s quarterfinal heat after he finished second to Nebraska’s Miles Ukaoma, which ended his undefeated streak of eight-straight 400-meter hurdle wins this year. The Canyon, Texas native clocked in with a time of 49.72 to claim the third-overall qualifying spot out of the West Region. Stigler will join forces with his teammates in the 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relays Saturday before he looks ahead to compete in the 400-meter hurdle semifinal slated for Wednesday, June 11 at 8:15 p.m. (CT).
 
Several Jayhawks just missed out on advancing on day two of the West Regional. Junior combined event specialist Lindsay Vollmer finished 25th in the first round of the 100-meter hurdles. Her time of 13.85 was .01 seconds from earning her a spot in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Sophomore Dasha Tsema also come close to moving on as she was only a centimeter away from earning more throws alongside her teammate Maroszek in the finals of the discus. Tsema posted a top mark of 50.70 meters (166’4″), which was less than half an inch from giving herself three more chances to up her standing in the finals.
 
The Jayhawks, who have now seen four athletes qualify for the NCAA Championships, will get one last opportunity to earn spots in Eugene on the third and final day of the West Preliminary meet. Action Saturday will kick off from John McDonnell Field at 10 a.m., with Daina Levy throwing in the third heat of the women’s hammer throw. The men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relays will close out the day at 9:25 p.m. Follow all the final day’s events through the meet central page at KUAthletics.com and through twitter at KUTrack.
 
 
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