Chambana Sun

The Illinois women's track and field team made a strong showing at the NCAA West Preliminaries held at E.B. Cushing Stadium, Texas A&M. Four athletes from the team secured their spots in the upcoming NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Sophia Beckmon, Tacoria Humphrey, Mia Morello, and Abria Smith each qualified for the national event in their respective disciplines. Morello excelled in pole vaulting by clearing 4.42m (14-6) on her second attempt after an initial foul, marking a personal best that ranks as the second-best in program history.

Humphrey advanced with a jump of 6.63m (21-9) on her final attempt, securing her place for the first time at the national outdoor meet in long jump. Beckmon also qualified for her first national outdoor meet with a season-best jump of 6.56m (21-6 1/4) on her first attempt.

Smith mirrored Beckmon's strategy by achieving her qualifying mark in shot put with a throw of 17.69m (58-0 1/2) on her first try, marking her debut qualification for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Faith Deering narrowly missed qualifying with a hammer throw of 61.61m (202-1), which placed her 16th overall.

In addition to these performances, Tori Thomas placed 25th in pole vaulting with a height of 4.17m (13-8 1/4), while Elizabeth Ndudi finished 16th in long jump with a distance of 6.33m (20-9 1/4). Other notable results included Halle Hill placing 22nd in the 1500 meters and Asia Thomas finishing 33rd in the 100 meters.

The men's track and field team is set to compete next, starting May 30 with field events beginning at noon and track events following later that day.