AUSTIN -- BYU’s throwers took care of business Thursday in the first day of the NCAA Track and Field West Preliminary as four finished in the top 12 of their respective events to qualifying for NCAA Nationals.

“We had some very good performances today,” BYU men’s head coach Mark Robison said. “The heat and humidity have been a challenge but we’re competing well. The javelin went well with all three of our guys qualifying for NCAAs. Ryan Waite ran great and easily qualified for the next round in the 800 meters. We’re in pretty good shape. We have a lot of events tomorrow and we hope everyone will perform well.”

The javelin trio of Sean Richardson, Blaine Baker and Chris Reno finished 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively, to earn spots in the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 9-12. Leif Arrhenius was the fourth thrower to qualify with a sixth-place finish in the shot put.

Ryan Waite had a successful day with a seventh-pace finish in the 800 meters. He is one of 24 runners that advanced to compete on Friday in the quarterfinals. The top 12 in each event advance to the NCAA Championships along with the top 12 in each event in the East Preliminary.

Competition resumes on Friday with Chris Little and Tanner Emrich competing in the pole vault, Oliver Whaley in the hammer throw, Trevor Heiner in the high jump, Waite in the 800m quarterfinals, Bryan Payne and Lance Walker in the 400m hurdles and Richard Nelson, Ryan Merriman and Josh Adams in the 3000m steeplechase.

See the list below for the athlete’s marks from Thursday. CLICK HERE for complete results.

Rank  Name                Event           Mark
 10   Sean Richardson*    Javelin         67.09mq    220-01
 11   Blaine Baker*       Javelin         66.72mq    218-11
 12   Chris Reno*         Javelin         65.51mq    214-11
  6   Leif Arrhenius*     Shot put        18.11mq    59-05.00
 27   Daniel Lawson       Shot put        16.64m     54-07.25
 32   Lance Walker        400m hurdles    52.51
 37   Bryan Payne         400m hurdles    53.35
 38   Brian Weirich       1500m           3:53.13
 38   Rhyan Atrice        400m            47.87
  7   Ryan Waite@         800m            1:47.96Q
 27   Jonathan Kotter     10000m          30:35.93 
 40   Aaron Powell        Long jump       6.78m      22-03.00
*Qualified for NCAA National Championships in Eugene, Ore.
@Advanced to final 24 at West Preliminary

PROVO -- BYU will travel to the campus of University of Texas in Austin for the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field West Preliminary that runs Thursday through Saturday. The men enter the preliminary at No. 11 in the nation while the women are No. 16.

The three-day event features the top 48 athletes and 24 relay teams in each event in the west region. The top 12 finishers in each event advance to the final NCAA meet in Eugene, Ore., June 9-12. The East Preliminary is held this weekend in Greensboro, N.C.

BYU is among the top programs in the country in terms of entries in the preliminaries. The men tied for fourth-most in the nation with 27 entries in 26 individual events and one relay. The women are tied for second-most with 28 entries in 27 individual events and one relay.

On the men’s side, nine athletes have 10 top 10 qualifying marks. Ryan Waite has the highest ranking on the team at No. 3 in the West in the 800m. Three other runners are in the top 10 in their respective events, including Brian Weirich (No. 7), Richard Nelson (No. 7) and Jonathan Kotter (No. 9).

Several field athletes have top 10 marks, including thrower Leif Arrhenius at No. 5 in both the shot put and the discus. Chris Reno and Sean Richardson are both top 10 in the javelin with Reno at No. 6 and Richardson at No. 9. Chris Little is No. 5 in the west in pole vault.

Six women are top 10 in the west, including Mindy McClurkin in the 200m (No. 8) and the long jump (No. 2). Lacey Cramer is the top qualifier in the west in the 800m and Angela Wagner is right behind at No. 2. Nachelle Stewart’s No. 5 ranking gives BYU three athletes in the top five in the 800m. Ada Robinson is the Cougars’ sixth top 10 qualifier with a No. 6 ranking in the high jump.

Follow the action online via the following links:

Live results

Watch Thursday’s Action

Watch Friday’s Action

Watch Saturday’s Action

Click on the links below for the complete list of qualifiers for the West Preliminary

Men

Women