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NCAA West Prelims
Billah Jepkirui and Gabija Galvydyte Punch Tickets to NCAA Outdoor Championships on Final Day of West Prelims
May 28, 2023 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A pair of Cowgirls punched their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas, as OSU track & field concluded the final day of action at the NCAA West Prelims Saturday in Sacramento, Calif.
Billah Jepkirui and Gabija Galvydyte clinched their spots in their respective events with automatic qualifying marks in the 1,500 Meters and 800 Meters, respectively.
In the first heat of the 1,500 Meters, Jepkirui finished third against some of the top middle-distance runners in the nation, including Oregon's Izzy Thornton-Bott and Illinois' Olivia Howell. Despite losing a shoe with 200 meters remaining, Jepkirui finished the tightly-contested race, where all five automatic qualifiers finished within one second of each other, with a personal best outdoor time at 4:12.39. Formerly No. 8 on OSU's leaderboard in the event, her time bumps her into sixth all-time for the Cowgirls.
Galvydyte brought home a convincing heat victory in the 800 Meters with a 2:02.99 finish, a season best for her. After the first lap, Galvydyte turned on the burners for the quickest final lap of the heat to take the top spot. The Big 12 champion in the event completes the West Prelims with two heat victories and the second-fastest overall qualifying time.
Maddie Salek competed in the 1,500 along with Jepkirui but fell short of advancing to the semifinal round. She finished her race in 4:19.93, capping off a season of noticeable improvement.
Payton Hinkle was the lone Cowgirl in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase, finishing in 10:20.28. Hinkle wrapped up her impressive freshman season with an NCAA quarterfinal appearance, as well as setting the programs fifth-fastest Steeplechase time at the Payton Jordan Invitational.
Hannah Bradford made her second appearance of the weekend in the Discus Throw. In the final track meet of her career, Bradford took the circle and put up a 50.48-meter toss. She wraps up her career in the orange and black as one of the greatest throwers in school history, ranking second, third and fifth in the Weight, Discus and Hammer Throws, respectively. She also ends her career at OSU as a three-time All-Big 12 honoree with nine total event victories, four of them from this season alone.
Jepkirui and Galvydyte will join fellow Cowgirls Molly Born (10,000 Meters) and Bailey Golden (Heptathlon) as well as seven Cowboys in Austin.
At the conclusion of the West Prelims, Isai Rodriguez and Alex Maier earned the right to compete in the final round of the 10,000 Meters. Rodriguez took the top spot of the semifinal race on Wednesday, while Maier was the last competitor to qualify.
Fouad Messaoudi, Alex Stitt and Christopher Middleton-Pearson are the three Cowboys competing in the 1,500 Meters. Messaoudi took the heat victory in the first round and had the second-fastest overall qualifying time. Both Stitt and Middleton-Pearson advanced as the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers.
Victor Shitsama will be the only Big 12 representative in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase after a convincing heat win. Shitsama put forth a personal best in Friday's semifinal round and had the fifth-fastest overall qualifying time in the West Prelims.
Mehdi Yanouri will travel to Austin with an automatic qualifying time in the 800 Meters. OSU's outdoor record holder earned a heat victory in the first round of the event, followed by a second-place finish in his heat in the quarterfinal round.
The Cowboys and Cowgirls will now prepare for the final meet of the 2022-23 season. Action in Austin is set from June 7-10 and can be viewed on ESPN2.
For more information on the Cowboys and Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.com.
NCAA West Prelims
Women's Individual Results
Discus First Round
30. Hannah Bradford — 50.48m/155'7"
High Jump First Round
19. Saara Hakanen — 1.77m/5'9.75"
1,500 Meter Quarterfinals
10. Billah Jepkirui (Q) — 4:12.39
20. Maddie Salek — 4:19.93
3,000 Meter Steeplechase Quarterfinals
30. Payton Hinkle — 10:20.28
800 Meter Quarterfinals
2. Gabija Galvydyte (Q) — 2:02.99
5,000 Meter Semifinals
13. Taylor Roe — 15:50.70
4x400 Relay
15. Ansley Scott, Gabija Galvydyte, Tori Ortiz, Tamara Woodley — 3:36.55
Billah Jepkirui and Gabija Galvydyte clinched their spots in their respective events with automatic qualifying marks in the 1,500 Meters and 800 Meters, respectively.
In the first heat of the 1,500 Meters, Jepkirui finished third against some of the top middle-distance runners in the nation, including Oregon's Izzy Thornton-Bott and Illinois' Olivia Howell. Despite losing a shoe with 200 meters remaining, Jepkirui finished the tightly-contested race, where all five automatic qualifiers finished within one second of each other, with a personal best outdoor time at 4:12.39. Formerly No. 8 on OSU's leaderboard in the event, her time bumps her into sixth all-time for the Cowgirls.
Galvydyte brought home a convincing heat victory in the 800 Meters with a 2:02.99 finish, a season best for her. After the first lap, Galvydyte turned on the burners for the quickest final lap of the heat to take the top spot. The Big 12 champion in the event completes the West Prelims with two heat victories and the second-fastest overall qualifying time.
Maddie Salek competed in the 1,500 along with Jepkirui but fell short of advancing to the semifinal round. She finished her race in 4:19.93, capping off a season of noticeable improvement.
Payton Hinkle was the lone Cowgirl in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase, finishing in 10:20.28. Hinkle wrapped up her impressive freshman season with an NCAA quarterfinal appearance, as well as setting the programs fifth-fastest Steeplechase time at the Payton Jordan Invitational.
Hannah Bradford made her second appearance of the weekend in the Discus Throw. In the final track meet of her career, Bradford took the circle and put up a 50.48-meter toss. She wraps up her career in the orange and black as one of the greatest throwers in school history, ranking second, third and fifth in the Weight, Discus and Hammer Throws, respectively. She also ends her career at OSU as a three-time All-Big 12 honoree with nine total event victories, four of them from this season alone.
Jepkirui and Galvydyte will join fellow Cowgirls Molly Born (10,000 Meters) and Bailey Golden (Heptathlon) as well as seven Cowboys in Austin.
At the conclusion of the West Prelims, Isai Rodriguez and Alex Maier earned the right to compete in the final round of the 10,000 Meters. Rodriguez took the top spot of the semifinal race on Wednesday, while Maier was the last competitor to qualify.
Fouad Messaoudi, Alex Stitt and Christopher Middleton-Pearson are the three Cowboys competing in the 1,500 Meters. Messaoudi took the heat victory in the first round and had the second-fastest overall qualifying time. Both Stitt and Middleton-Pearson advanced as the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers.
Victor Shitsama will be the only Big 12 representative in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase after a convincing heat win. Shitsama put forth a personal best in Friday's semifinal round and had the fifth-fastest overall qualifying time in the West Prelims.
Mehdi Yanouri will travel to Austin with an automatic qualifying time in the 800 Meters. OSU's outdoor record holder earned a heat victory in the first round of the event, followed by a second-place finish in his heat in the quarterfinal round.
The Cowboys and Cowgirls will now prepare for the final meet of the 2022-23 season. Action in Austin is set from June 7-10 and can be viewed on ESPN2.
For more information on the Cowboys and Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.com.
NCAA West Prelims
Women's Individual Results
Discus First Round
30. Hannah Bradford — 50.48m/155'7"
High Jump First Round
19. Saara Hakanen — 1.77m/5'9.75"
1,500 Meter Quarterfinals
10. Billah Jepkirui (Q) — 4:12.39
20. Maddie Salek — 4:19.93
3,000 Meter Steeplechase Quarterfinals
30. Payton Hinkle — 10:20.28
800 Meter Quarterfinals
2. Gabija Galvydyte (Q) — 2:02.99
5,000 Meter Semifinals
13. Taylor Roe — 15:50.70
4x400 Relay
15. Ansley Scott, Gabija Galvydyte, Tori Ortiz, Tamara Woodley — 3:36.55
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Throws
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Distance
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Multi-Events
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Jumps
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Distance
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Distance
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Sprints
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Distance
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Distance
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Sprints
/ Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
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