Four Eastern Washington University track and field athletes competed in the first day of the NCAA Division I West Regionals in Austin, Texas, on Thursday (May 25).

Competitors must finish in the top 12 of their respective events in order to qualify and advance for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 7-10.

The EWU women's team fielded three athletes today. Senior Samantha Baker in the javelin, senior Sarah Reiter in the 10,000-meter race, and freshman Kaili Keefe in the preliminary 1,500-meter run.

Kaili Keefe was the highest finisher of the day for the Eagles, placing 14^th with a time of 4:27.09 in the first round of the 1,500. Comprised of four heats, the race advances the top-five times of each heat plus an additional four times. Keefe will return to the track on Saturday, for the quarterfinals of the 1,500.

Sarah Reiter ran in her final collegiate 10,000 race, just missing qualification with a time of 35:38.26 and an 18^th overall finish. The six-time All-Big Sky athlete owns Eastern's second all-time mark of 33:46.71 in the 10,000.

Samantha Baker concludes her career with the EWU team, as she placed 35^th in the javelin with a mark of 137-9. Even though she does not advance to the finals in Eugene, Baker ends her career with both second and third place finishes in the Big Sky Conference Championships, and a personal record throw of 149-10.

Junior Trenton Osborn was the sole competitor on the men's side, taking part in the long jump. He placed 34^th with a mark of 24-2 1/2.

What's Next
The Eagles still have three more athletes looking to qualify for the finals during the third day of the West Regionals on Saturday (May 27). Senior Scottie Miller in the discus, Sarah Reiter in the 5,000, and Kaili Keefe in the quarterfinals of the 1,500 will all be competing.

Comments from Men's Head Coach Stan Kerr
"Trenton jumped really well today. His jumps ranked amongst his best of the season. I felt he responded well to jumping in the 90 degree temperatures after jumping for most of the spring in our significantly cooler temperatures. This is his second trip to the regional meet, and the plan is to be back at next year's regional competition in Sacramento."

Comments from Women's Head Coach Marcia Mecklenburg
"Sam started us off with the javelin throw. She did not do quite as well as she had hoped, but she stepped on that runway determined with all three attempts. It just was not her day. She had an amazing four years at Eastern starting as a walk-on, and ending as a two-time All-Big Sky Conference athlete and a two-time regional qualifier. She will be missed."

"Freshman Kaili Keefe showed no signs of big meet jitters. Her races are always exciting because she runs fierce and fearless. It paid off today as she qualified for the semifinals with the 14th best time out of the preliminaries. That is super hard for a freshman to do. It will be fun to see what she can do in the semis on Saturday."

"Sarah Reiter ran amazingly tough in the hottest race of the year for her and finished 18th. Every athlete that competed for us today finished higher then what they came in ranked, and Sarah kept that streak going. I could not have been more proud of her. Coach Chris Shane has done an amazing job with both Kaili and Sarah."
 
Results/Times
Men
Long Jump | Trenton Osborn, R-Jr. – 34^th, 24-2 1/2
 
Women
1,500m Preliminary | Kaili Keefe, Fr. – 14^th, 4:27.09q
10,000m | Sarah Reiter, Sr. – 18^th, 35:38.26
Javelin | Samantha Baker, Sr. – 35^th, 137-9