INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee announced the qualifiers for the 2024 Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Championships on Tuesday, with 15 FPU athletes set to make the trip. In the most recent USTFCCCA poll, the Sunbird men are ranked 10th, with the FPU women sitting at 16th.
 
"It's exciting to have both programs doing so well on the national stage, and we are proud of our programs for qualifying as many athletes and as much talent as ever," head coach Ray Winter said. "We were so close to bringing many more athletes, which is a great indicator of how far the program has come and certainly where it is going, but I'm confident that this group of athletes will be great ambassadors for our university both on and off the track."
 
Sariyah Copeland and Nydia Chance turned in qualifying times of 11.40 and 11.46 respectively in the 100 prelims of last weekend's Last Chance meet at Azusa Pacific. Copeland also qualified in the 200 after turning in a finals time of 23.15 to win at the Last Chance.
 
Brianna Green earned her way to Kansas with a PacWest Championship winning time of 59.04 in the 400 hurdles after shaving three seconds off her preliminary time. Ariana Vera also qualified for Nationals with her performance at the PacWest Championships, doing so with a time of 54.61 in the 400.
 
The women's 4x100 relay team consisting of Chance, Green, Copeland and Vera won the PacWest Championship with a time of 44.60 to solidify a qualifying spot for Nationals. In the women's 4x400, Copeland, Green, Vera and freshman anchor Kenadhi Haslip teamed up to qualify with a time of 3:39.26 at the Last Chance meet last weekend.
 
On the men's side, Kalobe Jimenez picked up second place with a time of 13.99 in the 110 hurdles at the conference championship meet, pairing with an individual crown in the 400 hurdles behind a time of 50.59. Shemar Palmer is set to compete in both the 200 and 400 after winning PacWest titles in both events, turning in a mark of 20.66 in the 200 before recording a 45.89 in the 400.
 
Palmer will serve as the opening leg of the 4x400 relay team before handing the baton to Jimenez, with Zavian Cook set to follow and Garrett Fox handling the anchor duties. The squad qualified for Nationals behind a time of 3:08.44 at APU's Bryan Clay Invitational.

In the field events, Jesse Franco's season-best effort of 60.85m (199' 8") in the hammer throw at the Sunbird Invitational proved good enough for an event win and a Nationals qualifier. Dejan Mileusnic, last year's runner up at the National Championships, will get another shot at the top podium spot after a javelin throw of 73.53m (241' 3") at the Beach Invitational in April.

Bo Olsen, Cullin Bates, Aubrianna Smith and Shaniya Randolph will also join the Sunbirds in Kansas as relay alternates.
 
The NCAA National Championships are set to take place from May 23-25 on the campus of Emporia State University. Stay tuned to FPUAthletics.com for more information.