The Emporia State track & field team spent their “last chance qualifier” weekend at home and at the Ward Haylett Invitational in Manhattan hosted by Kansas State. It was the final chance for the Hornets to improve on provisional qualifying times ahead of the selection for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships set to be hosted at Welch Stadium in Emporia later this month. As such, the field wasn’t full and the Big Gold didn’t field a team in every event, but E-State was still racing the clock for time. The Hornet men ran the 4x100m relay in 40.39 seconds and Emmanuel Dukpe ran 46.97 in the men’s 400m dash. Stella Agbokpah finished the 200m dash in 24.07 seconds with Barbara Bentum finishing in 24.46. Israel Domeh was second in a full field at 200m finishing in 21.07 seconds.
Field events were also contested with Harper Schoendaller throwing 131 ft.-5 in. in the women’s javelin while Zach Sulzen-Watson threw for a season’s best 157 ft.-10 in. in the men’s discus. Connor Deters led the way throwing 56 ft.-1 3/4 inches in the shot put while Sulzen-Watson lobbed it 53 ft.-4 1/4 in.
Meanwhile ESU hosted a last chance qualifier at Welch Stadium for the multi-events on Thursday and Friday this week. Isabella Davie won the women’s heptathlon scoring 5,165 points and didn’t finish worse than fourth in any event. Lou Dumas was second. There were only two men in the men’s decathlon with Luke Grace opting not to finish. The NCAA will announce the selection of the National Championship field via press release on Tuesday, May 12. Pittsburg State will be vying for their fifth-straight national title.
