INDIANAPOLIS — Eight UTSA student-athletes have punched their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field West Preliminary Round, which will be held May 23-25 in Sacramento, Calif.
Additionally, UTSA freshman Gary Haasbroek has earned one of 24 spots for the decathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 5-8 in Austin.
The UTSA men will send five to the West Coast to compete in five different events at the three-day meet hosted by Sacramento State.
Luca Chatham is in the NCAA West Preliminary 800 meters field for the second straight season. The senior from Dallas was the C-USA runner-up in the event and the league's indoor mile champion clocked a season-best time of 1:50.11 at the J. Fred Duckett Twilight on April 20 in Houston.
Andre Douglas also will make his second straight trip to the NCAA preliminary round in the triple jump. His season-best mark of 15.44m (50-8) came in a winning effort in March at the UTSA Invitational and he grabbed the bronze medal in the event at the C-USA Outdoor on May 12.
Andrew Pirog is making a return trip the NCAA West Preliminary in the 400m hurdles. The junior out of San Antonio Reagan High School, who recently was named to the C-USA All-Academic Team, clocked a season-best 51.32 to finish third at the league's outdoor meet.
Patrick Prince is in the NCAA preliminary 110m hurdles field for the fourth consecutive year. A two-time C-USA champion in the event, he clocked a season-best 13.95 to secure silver at the C-USA Outdoor. The senior from Conroe finished eighth in 13.78 at last year's West Preliminary and earned honorable mention All-America accolades at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor after placing 20th.
Vasha Sheriff qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary in the 400m for the second straight season after also appearing with the 4x400m relay a year ago. The senior from Amarillo posted a season-best time of 46.51 to earn the bronze medal in the quarter at the C-USA Outdoor.
The women will travel a trio of Roadrunners to Sacramento for the meet.
Orla Brothers will make her NCAA West Preliminary debut in the 400m hurdles. A freshman from Sussex, England, she clocked a season-best time of 1:00.12 at the UTSA Invitational on March 16 and placed seventh in 1:03.72 on a wet track at the C-USA Outdoor.
Olivia Esemena also will compete in the NCAA preliminary round for the first time in her career. The junior from Arlington clocked a career best 11.48 at the Alumni Muster on April 27, a mark that ranks her fourth on UTSA's all-time performers list, and the C-USA All-Academic Team selection sped to an 11.71 for fifth at the conference meet on May 12.
Danielle Spence is packing her bags to the NCAA West Preliminary for the second year in a row. A sophomore from Jamaica, she skipped to a UTSA-record triple jump of 13.42m (44-0 ½) to secure silver at the C-USA Outdoor. Spence collected second-team All-America honors in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor in March and her outdoor PR currently ranks 16th nationally.
Competing in his first decathlon of the year, Haasbroek scored 7,395 points to run away with the C-USA crown last week en route to being named co-Freshman of the Meet. A native of Melbourne, Australia, he will enter the NCAA Outdoor Championships with the 22nd-best mark in the field, as he looks for to repeat as an All-American after earning second-team accolades in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor in March.
The top 24 declared athletes qualify for the NCAA Outdoor decathlon, which is not contested at the West Preliminary.
UTSA's NCAA Outdoor Track & Field West Preliminary Qualifiers
Women
Orla Brothers — 400-meter hurdles
Olivia Esemena — 100 meters
Danielle Spence — triple jump
Men
Luca Chatham — 800 meters
Andre Douglas — triple jump
Andrew Pirog — 400-meter hurdles
Patrick Prince — 110-meter hurdles
Vasha Sheriff — 400 meters
UTSA's NCAA Outdoor Championships Qualifiers
Men
Gary Haasbroek — decathlon
