NCAA Track and Field Preview: Men's Entries

AMES, Iowa – The 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships begin on Wednesday in Austin, Texas. To help prepare Cyclone fans for the action in Austin, check below for a breakdown of ISU's men's competitors at the National Championships.

Vlad Pavlenko – Men's Hammer Throw (Final: Wednesday, 4 p.m.)
ISU's school record holder in the event, Pavlenko has relied on grit and determination to get through to Austin. After earning Second Team All-America honors in the weigh throw indoors, Pavlenko kicked off his outdoor season by breaking the school record at the Arkansas Spring Invitational, and then re-setting it at the War Eagle Invitational to its current mark of 217-10 (66.41m). Pavlenko was able to push through to a silver medal at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships (216-8, 66.04m) to set the stage for NCAA West Prelims. The pressure was intense, as Pavlenko's best effort of 212-1 (64.64m) came in round two, meaning he had to sweat it out to see if he would advance to Austin.

Festus Lagat, Roshon Roomes – Men's 800m Run (Semifinals: Wednesday, 8:14 p.m.; Final: Friday, 8:44 p.m.)
The Cyclones and First Team All-Americans from the indoor season have been dead even in the event all outdoor season. At the Sun Angel Classic in April, they ran matching 1:47.14s (Lagat was 0.003 seconds faster) to vault into the top-10 nationally and the No. 3 and 4 spots in ISU history. At the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, the two flipped spots in the record books with Roomes running a personal best 1:46.91 to finish third and Lagat taking fourth in 1:46.93. The two swapped spots once again at NCAA West Prelims, with Lagat advancing in 1:46.58, while Roomes came in at 1:46.88. The bar will be set high for the duo this week in Austin, with Lagat entering as the No. 4 seed, and Roomes at No. 5.

Eric Fogltanz – Men's 400m Hurdles (Semifinals: Wednesday, 8:30 p.m.; Final: Friday, 8:57 p.m.)
An NCAA qualifier in this event last season, Fogltanz had a strong, consistent campaign in the event, going below 52 seconds each time he has competed, while picking up event wins at the War Eagle Invitational and the Drake Relays. Fogltanz picked up the Big 12 bronze medal for the event and rallied on the front stretch to qualify for Austin in the event, clocking a season-best 50.39 in the process. Last season at the National Championships, Fogltanz finished 14th to earn Second Team All-America honors.

Men's 4x400m Relay (Semifinals: Wednesday, 9:48 p.m.; Final: Friday, 9:51 p.m.)
Getting the band together for this event has been a challenge, as ISU's 'A' lineup had only run together once heading into the Big 12 Championships, where they needed a strong time to even make it to Sacramento and West Prelims. The quartet of Charlie Johnson, Roshon Roomes, Ben Kelly and Eric Fogltanz delivered with a silver medal and 3:05.50 to put them among the favorites to advance to Austin. The quartet put up a 3:07.01, but a fifth-place heat finish meant they had to wait to see if they made it on time. It turned out to be enough, and the relay will return to the National Championships for the second-straight season. Fogltanz and Roomes ran on the quartet which finished 14th last season, earning Second Team All-America honors but missing out on a spot in the final by just 0.004 seconds. The relay alternates for ISU will be freshman Gage Clay and Lagat.

Edwin Kurgat – Men's 5,000m Run (Final: Friday, 9:25 p.m.)
Continuing the theme of repeat visitors, Kurgat is back in the men's 5,000-meter run and will look to improve on his First Team All-America efforts from a season ago. Having clocked a 13:34.10 at 5,000-meters at Stanford, and helping ISU take Drake Relays titles in the distance medley relay and 4x800m relay, Kurgat then brought home a silver medal in the 10K and bronze in the 5K at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships. A tactical race at NCAA West Prelims made it a priority to be in the top-five of his heat to earn an auto-qualifying slot, and Kurgat did just that with third-place finish in the section. His 13:34.10 at 5K ranks eighth among qualifiers to the distance at the National Championships.

Players Mentioned

Gage Clay

Eric Fogltanz

Charlie Johnson

Ben Kelly

Edwin Kurgat

Festus Lagat

Vlad Pavlenko

Roshon Roomes

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics