SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Thunderbird senior Mike Tate qualified for the NCAA National Championship in the 10,000-meter on Thursday night, as competition began at the West Preliminary inside Hornet Stadium.
Tate finished second in the 10K with a 29:14.90, qualifying him to the next round of competition in Eugene, Oregon.
“Last year I missed out on Outdoor Nationals and that was a huge disappointment,” Tate said following the race. “So to be able to come back this year after a sub-par outdoor season and qualify for a race at Hayward Field, it’s a big relief and I can’t wait.”
The senior claimed First Team All-American status at the Indoor National Championships, and will have an opportunity to earn a similar title in a few weeks.
“I’m better prepared for how the races will go,” Tate said in regards to the knowledge he gained at Indoor Nationals.
Tate will compete in the 5,000-meter for Southern Utah on Saturday.
Also competing in the 10K was Big Sky Freshman of the Year Aidan Reed, who finished 23rd in the field with a time of 29:38.15.
Elsewhere on the track, Tre James ran the 12th fastest time in the 100-meter dash on Thursday, qualifying him for the next round of competition on Friday. James ran a wind legal personal best 10.37, which puts him third all-time in the SUU Record Book.
In the women’s 1,500-meter, Sharlie Dimick ran a 4:24.71 which put her 26th in the field. Unfortunately, Dimick just missed out on a chance to compete again on Saturday.
George Espino suffered the same fate in the men’s 800-meter, finishing 25th in the field with a 1:50.59. He was the first man out of the next round of competition.
The evening concluded with the women’s 10,000-meter, with both Angie Nickerson and Madison Fruchey taking part of the competition. Nickerson ran a 34:50.42 to finish in 40th place, while Fruchey ran a 36:06.33 to finished in 42nd.
Nickerson will compete in the women’s 5,000-meter this Saturday, while Fruchey’s freshman season came to a close in Sacramento.
The meet will continue on Friday and conclude on Saturday.
The meet can be viewed on FloTrack for a fee.
Live stats for the meet can be found here.
Story by:
SUU Athletics Strategic Communication
