AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Track & Field opened competition at the NCAA West Preliminaries in Sacramento, Calif. on Thursday with a pair of Longhorns punching their ticket to the NCAA Championship at Mike A. Meyers Stadium in Austin (June 5-8). Nine other Longhorns advanced to the quarterfinal round and will compete for a spot in the semifinals and an NCAA Championship berth over the next two days. The NCAA West Preliminaries field features the top 48 qualifiers from the West Region of the country with the top 12 finishers advancing to the National Championship Meet in two weeks.
Two UT long jumpers earned NCAA Championship bids on day one of the NCAA West Prelims with senior Steffin McCarter posting the top jump of the meet with a wind aided 25-11 ½ (7.