The Colorado track and field team eased into the NCAA West Preliminaries on Wednesday night, with Charlie Sweeney finishing 18th in the 10,000 meter run and James Milholen advancing in the 400.
Six CU athletes competed in five events on opening night at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, as the start of the men’s events kicked off the four-day meet.
Milholen landed the final qualifying spot in 400 meter run, finishing 24th overall in 46.26 seconds. Milholen finished fifth in his heat but nabbed the final at-large spot for Friday’s preliminary final by just .02 of a second.
Matt Ward got things started for the Buffs on Wednesday, placing 23rd in the hammer throw with a mark of 63.27 meters. Isaiah Givens finished 20th in the 1,500, while Tyler Williams wasn’t far off Milholen’s heels in the 400, finishing 41st with a mark of 46.97. Garrett Nelson finished 43rd in the 400 hurdles while Sweeney secured his top-20 finish in the 10K by posting a time of 28:46.48.
The men’s events conclude on Friday, with Milholen taking aim at a spot in the NCAA championships when he competes in the final of the 1,500 at 6:15 p.m. MT. The Buffs also will roll out Caleb Niednagel in the steeplechase and the 4 x 400 relay team. Sweeney also is slated to run the 5K final.
On Thursday the women’s events begin, with the Buffs competing in the hammer throw (Amanda Opp, 11 a.m. MT), javelin (Jada Green, 2:30 p.m. MT), heptathlon (Avery McMullen), 1,500 (Bailey Hertenstein, 7:30 p.m. MT), 400 hurdles (Abbey Glynn, 9:20 p.m. MT), and the 10K final (India Johnson, 10:10 p.m. MT).
NCAA West Preliminaries
Wednesday CU Buffs results
Men’s events
Hammer throw — 23. Matt Ward 63.27.
1,500 — 20. Isaiah Givens 3:44.46.
400 — 24. James Milholen 46.26 (Q); 41. Tyler Williams 46.97.
400 hurdles — 43. Garrett Nelson 53.94.
10,000 (final) — 18. Charlie Sweeney 28:46.48; 41. Ethan Powell 30:01.77; 45. Jace Aschbrenner 30:35.46.
