SACRAMENTO—Colorado’s James Milholen claimed the final qualifying position in the men’s 400-meters on Wednesday’s opening day of the NCAA West First Round at Sacramento State.
The first-year Buff ran a 46.26 and finished fifth in the fifth heat of the event. The top three in each of the six heats automatically qualified, followed by the next six fastest times. Milholen’s time just edged out Texas State’s Dominick Yancy (46.28) to get inside the top 24.
Wednesday began with Matt Ward looking to advance straight to the NCAA Championships in the hammer throw. Ward was the first thrower out of the second flight and climbed to the top spot with a throw of 63.27m (207-7) on his first attempt. That would remain his top mark after his three throws, positioning himself in eighth with one flight to go. Ward slipped out of the top 12 as the final flight progressed, finishing 23rd overall.
Isaiah Givens ran the fastest 700-meter split in the 1500-meters, clocking a 1:00.21 early in the race. He would end up closing seventh in his heat and finish 20th overall at 3:44.46.
Tyler Williams joined Milholen as the two sprinters representing the Buffs in the 400-meters. Williams ran in the sixth and final heat, clocking a 46.97.
Garrett Nelson was the lone hurdler for the men on Wednesday. He posted 53.94 in the 400-hurdles, finishing seventh heat No. 3.
Day one closed with Charlie Sweeney, Ethan Powell and Jace Aschbrenner in the 10,000-meters. Sweeney, who was seeded 16th to start the race was the Buffs’ top finisher. He closed the race 18th with a time of 28:46.48. Powell and Aschbrenner followed behind with times of 30:01.77 and 30:35.46, respectively.
The meet continues on Thursday with the women’s events getting started. Amanda Opp will kick things off at 11 a.m. MT in the hammer throw.
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at University of Colorado Athletics…