Edwards, Werner qualify Thursday for NCAA Championships

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — One day down, two NCAA qualifiers secured as Arkansas hit the track Thursday afternoon at the NCAA West Prelims at Hornet Stadium on the campus of Sacramento State University.

Eight Razorbacks advanced on day one.

Taylor Werner has added to her comeback season with a ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 10,000-meters.

Werner, who missed last outdoor season with a medical redshirt, has qualified for every championship meet this season (XC, ITF, OTF). The sophomore from Ste. Genevieve, Mo. secured her ticket to Austin, Texas running 33:40.81 – the fourth-fastest on the night.

G’Auna Edwards grabbed her spot at the NCAA Championships with a jump of 6.14m (20-1.75) in the women’s long jump. Edwards took care of business early in the event posting the mark on her initial jump of the competition.

First on the track for the Razorbacks, was the middle-distance group as they competed in the first round of the 1,500-meters.

Carina Viljoen advanced to the quarterfinal by way of an auto-Q finish, taking third in her heat in a time of 4:18.92Q.

Sydney Brown finished 27th in 4:22.17, while Maddy Reed (4:25.38) and Meghan Underwood (4:26.25) finished 30th and 32nd, respectively.

Kethlin Campbell led the entire field of the women’s 400-meter first round, finishing with a days best of 52.16.

Paris Peoples ran a lifetime-best 52.79Q securing her spot in the quarterfinal alongside Morgan Burks-Magee who grabbed a spot with her run of 53.47q.

Sydney Hammit narrowly missed out on advancing, running the second-fastest non-qualifying time at 53.83. Shafiqua Maloney (54.28) and Tiana Wilson (54.82) 36th and 42nd, respectively.

Both Arkansas sprinters moved through to the quarterfinal. Kiara Parker clocked a time of 11.42Q, the 10th-fastest on the day, and Tamara Kuykendall ran 11.61q to lock up her spot in the next round.

J’Alyiea Smith also competed Thursday afternoon finishing T-16th in the high jump clearing 1.75m (5-8.75).