DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University track and field team will send six student-athletes to the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Austin, Texas, May 23-25.

The six members – two women and four men – mark the second most Bulldogs to qualify for the preliminary round since the current format was adopted in 2010. The high was set last season with eight.

The top 48 declared student-athletes for each regional zone are accepted into the NCAA Preliminary round competition for the opportunity to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is achieved through performance in the Preliminary Round competition at each site. Twelve competitors from each individual event and a minimum of eight teams from each relay event move on from each Preliminary Round site to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Austin, Texas serves as the site for the West Preliminary Rounds, while Greensboro, N.C., is the site for the East Preliminary Round.

Drake 2013 NCAA West Preliminary Participants
Women
Sarah Yeager – 100-Meter Hurdles
Marissa Smith – 100-Meter Hurdles

Men
Brogan Austin – 5,000 Meters, 10,000 Meters
Travis Marsh – 400-Meter Hurdles
Isaac Twombly – Hammer Throw
Kevin Harp – Javelin Throw

Senior Sarah Yeager (Ottumwa, Iowa) is heading to Austin after a breakout season in her final year at Drake. Yeager claimed five titles on the season, four in the 100-meter hurdles and one in the 400-meter hurdles. The highlight of her season came in winning the 100-meter hurdles at the 2013 MVC Outdoor Championships. Her time of 13.48 was a personal best and Drake season best on the year. She was the second Drake athlete in two years to win both the 60-meter hurdles at the MVC Indoor Championship and the 100-meter hurdles at the MVC Outdoor Championship. Her time is the 26th best in the region going into the event.

Yeager will be joined in the 100-meter hurdles by teammate senior Marissa Smith (Ajax, Ontario). Smith set a school record in the event at the 2012 Regionals of 13.39. She held the top time in the MVC in the event, 13.69, for the majority of the season, and claimed two victories. Her time of 13.64 was third at the 2013 MVC Outdoor Championships and ranks 39th in the region.

Junior Brogan Austin (Boone, Iowa) will have a tremendous opportunity to advance to the championships after a season that saw him win both the 5,000 meters at the Drake Relays and MVC Outdoor Championship. Austin will compete in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and look to set Drake records in both after just missing them earlier this season in the two events.

Junior Travis Marsh (Ankeny, Iowa) will be the other male Bulldog on the track. He ran the 43rd best time in the 400-meter hurdles of 52.53 to squeak into the regionals. It will be his first time Marsh has qualified for the regionals. He ran his best time of the year of 52.53 at the Jim Duncan invite, finishing third, and won the event at the Musco Twilight in 53.89.

Senior Isaac Twombly (Baldwin, Kan.) is the most experienced Drake athlete at the preliminary round. He was 14th at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw with a toss of 62-4.50. Twombly is the school record holder in the hammer throw after throwing a new best of 204-6 at the 2013 MVC Outdoor Championships, the throw was the 22nd best in the region to qualify for preliminary round competition.

Senior Kevin Harp (Iowa City, Iowa) will look to go out on top and qualify for the NCAA Championships. Harp set the Drake record in the javelin for the second time at the MVC Championships with a throw of 214-1 to finish third. He had previously set the record before teammate Phillip Beeler (Lenexa, Kan.) broke it a year ago at the NCAA Regionals. Harp was 26th at the javelin a year ago with a toss of 201 feet even.