Jesse Summers
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This past weekend at the NCAA’s West Regionals hosted by Texas, Cal Poly track and field juniors Ashley Windsor and Danielle Bryan earned bids to the NCAA Track and Field National Championships.
Windsor broke her previous personal record in the 1,500 meter, helping capture her spot for the finals in Eugene, Oregon. After racing a 4:18.54 at the Big West Championships, she cut down her time by nearly three seconds, posting a 4:15.90. This time also puts her in the Cal Poly record books, as she now sits third all time in the 1,500-meter category.
Windsor placed third among all competitors, earning the guaranteed berth in the championships awarded to the top five finishers. She will race in the national semifinals on June 11th, which will feed into the national finals events just two days later.
Windsor will be accompanied by Bryan, who tied for 11 place in the high jump, clearing 5 feet and 10 inches. That mark remains her personal best as she prepares to compete at the national championships. Her previous record was 5-9.25, which she set at the Cal Poly ShareSLO Invitational.
Like Windsor, Bryan secured an automatic spot by finishing in the top 12 of the 48-athlete field. Her personal-best jump places her in a tie for No. 6 in the Cal Poly record books.
The high jump finals will take place on Saturday, June 13, at 1:30 p.m.
Two Mustangs, junior Nick Woolf and senior Blake Ahrold, competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Neither was able to qualify for the nation championships, as Woolf placed 15th out of 48 competitors and Ahrold finished 33rd.
A pair of Mustangs also competed in the triple jump. Junior Kendal Nielsen and sophomore Ricky Strehlow failed to earn a chance to compete in Oregon. Nielsen would record a 40-foot, 6.25-inch triple jump, earning her 32nd place in the women’s triple jump, while Strehlow came in 42nd place with a 47-foot, 10.75-inch jump.
The semifinal event for Windsor will be held at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon on June 11, followed by the championships, including Bryan’s high jump event, on June 13. ESPN will be covering both days of events.