May 27, 2017 AUSTIN, Texas - The women's 4x100 relay squad of Jazmen Bunch, Natsumi McGee, Kierra Davis and Mikaela Adolphus tied the school record of 44.70 seconds, while senior Basil Okoroike finished his career with a personal best in the triple jump, highlighting UC Davis action on the final day of NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships West Preliminary meet at Mike A. Myers Stadium Saturday.
The relay foursome matched the time set by
Ashley Marshall,
Cekarri Nixon,
Emma Redick and
Holly Miller at the 2015 Causeway Classic Dual meet. The current Aggies' previous best was 44.81, set at the Big West Conference championship meet. Saturday's 44.70 finished 15th in the meet and fell just 0.11 shy of a berth in the national meet in Eugene. Meanwhile, Okoroike hit a PR leap of 15.78 meters, or 51 feet, 9.25 inches in imperial units, but finished 13th overall -- just one place shy of advancing to the NCAA finals. The three-time West qualifier recorded wind-aided marks of 15.51m and 15.41m in the first two rounds of the third flight, before uncorking his 15.78m effort on this third and final attempt. Okoroike sat fourth on the leaderboard heading into the fourth flight, which held the highest-seeded entrants. Unfortunately, nine of the competitors in that last group went 15.98 or better, pushing Okoroike below the cut by a mere two centimeters. Nonetheless, Okoroike finishes his career as the school's No. 2 all-time triple jumper, as Saturday's effort moves him ahead of teammate
Drew Xandrine-Anderson, who finished 30th (15.21m/49-11) in the meet. UC Davis had seven total athletes in action during Saturday's session. Sophomore
Kyle Clancy bowed out of the men's high jump in a tie for 29th place. He cleared 2.00m and 2.05m in the first attempts on each, but was unable to navigate the bar at 2.10m. Clancy, Okoroike, and women's 4x100 relay each won Big West Conference titles in their respective events two weeks prior in Fullerton. Saturday's action concludes a successful overall Aggie visit to the West prelims.
Rianna Goins (women's 800) and
Erinn Beattie (women's high jump) each advanced to the national meet, held at Oregon's Hayward Field from June 7-10.
2017 NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS - WEST PRELIMINARY MEET, DAY THREE Mike A. Myers Stadium (Austin, Texas)
Only events with UC Davis participants listed.
MEN'S TRIPLE JUMP - 1. Eric Sloan, USC, 16.92m (55-6.26)... 13.
Basil Okoroike, 15.78m (51-9.25); 30.
Drew Xandrine-Anderson, 15.21m (49-11).
MEN'S HIGH JUMP - 1 (tie). Christoff Bryan, Kansas State; Kyle Landon, Southern Illinois; Landon Bartel, Nebraska, 2.18m (7-1.75)... t29.
Kyle Clancy, 2.05m (6-8.75).
WOMEN'S 4x100 RELAY - 1. Texas A&M (Thompson, Reed, Spaulding, Brown), 43.23... 15. UC Davis (Bunch, McGee, Davis, Adolphus), 44.70.
