AUSTIN — Adrian Riley's personal-best performance in the long jump on Thursday enabled him to advance to the NCAA Championships and two other Roadrunners moved onto the national quarterfinals to highlight the UTSA men's track & field team's opening day of action at this weekend's NCAA Championships Preliminary Rounds.
Riley leaped to a career-long measurement in the long jump for the second consecutive meet, this time to the tune of 25-6 ¼ (7.78m), and that was an improvement of nearly eight inches from the wind-aided mark of 24-10 ½ (7.58m) he recorded during the decathlon at the Conference USA Championships two weeks ago. The junior from Kingston, Jamaica, finished fifth in the field of 46 competitors and he now stands fourth on the program's all-time performers chart.
"I just want to thank God for this opportunity," Riley said. "I didn't see this coming and I am so humbled and blessed to have the chance to continue my season in two weeks. I want to thank (Head) Coach (Aaron) Fox for helping me come up big after the conference meet."
Meanwhile, Randy Bermea advanced to Friday's quarterfinals in the 400-meter hurdles after placing third in the first of six opening-round heats. The senior from Harlingen crossed the finish line in 52.27, which was good for 28th in the field of 48 hurdlers, but he moved on after earning an automatic berth after finishing in the top three of his section. The quarters are scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on Friday and the top three finishers in each of the three heats along with the next three fastest times will advance to the national semifinals in Eugene, Ore.
Vasha Sheriff also moved on following his time of 46.62 in the 400m, which ranked fourth in the fourth preliminary heat and 18th in the field of 47 sprinters overall. The quarterfinals are scheduled for 5:45 p.m. on Friday and the top three finishers in each of the three heats along with the next three fastest times will advance to the national semis.
In other action, Victor Perez finished 37th in the hammer with a throw of 195-7 (59.58m) and he saw his senior season come to an end.
The three-day meet will continue on Friday.
