Wednesday, May 22
Fayetteville, Ark.
All Day
University of North Texas
vs
NCAA West Preliminary Round
Track & Field Concludes Season at NCAA West Prelims
5/26/2024 9:49:00 AM | Track & Field/XC
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The UNT track and field team wrapped up its outdoor season at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Saturday.
Redshirt junior Nakiya Marshall was the last of nine UNT student-athletes to compete in an individual event in the first round of the NCAA postseason. Marshall placed No. 23 in the women's triple jump with a mark of 12.03 meters on her third attempt.
The Mean Green qualified 13 athletes in total to the West Prelims, including nine individuals and the men's 4x100-meter relay team.
Seniors Jordan Coates-McBride, Jared Johnson and Zion Hill saw their collegiate careers come to a close at the meet.
Coates-McBride became the first UNT male to qualify for the regional meet in the 400-meter hurdles since 2013 after posting a personal-best time at the conference meet. The senior who ran in 42 meets during his career at North Texas placed No. 42 in the West region with a time of 52.79 in the first round on Wednesday.
Johnson returned to UNT for his COVID year in 2024 and had a great season but was unfortunately limited with an injury sustained at the conference meet. Having previously qualified for the 100 meters, Johnson gave it a go on Wednesday, but pulled up during the race.
Johnson was also a consistent member of the relay team that qualified for the meet and was replaced by sophomore Evan Nichols in the race Friday. The men's 4x100 team narrowly missed out on a berth to the NCAA Championships finishing No. 16 in the West region with a time of 39.87.
A staple of the North Texas program since 2019, Hill finished his college career in the with a 23rd-place finish in the men's javelin on a throw of 65.49 meters. His career accolades include three Conference USA championships, an honorable mention All-America finish at the 2023 NCAA Championships and the school record in the javelin.
Junior Vitus Hansgaard competed alongside Hill in the men's javelin competition placing No. 44 in the region with a mark of 55.41 meters.
Excluding Marshall in the triple jump, the other four UNT women to qualify for the meet competed on Thursday. Throwers Allison Stigarll and Makayla Roy would be the first to compete in the morning session of the day.
Stigarll capped off her first season at North Texas with a hammer throw of 54.16 meters that put her in 41st place. The junior earned all-conference honors with a runner-up finish at the American Athletic Conference Championships and as the school record holder with a mark of 58.84 meters.
Roy would have the highest finish of any UNT female at the meet, placing No. 31 in the women's javelin competition. Her mark of 46.62 meters was her second-best throw of the season.
Thursday evening saw China Okoye and Deja Shaw-Huckaby compete for the Mean Green. Okoye entered the meet fresh off winning her first conference championship, but would place No. 44 at the meet with a time of 1:01.06. Shaw-Huckaby qualified for the first round with a personal-best time of 23.45 at the conference meet. The sophomore clocked a 23.57 in Fayetteville to finish No. 41 in the region.
Redshirt junior Nakiya Marshall was the last of nine UNT student-athletes to compete in an individual event in the first round of the NCAA postseason. Marshall placed No. 23 in the women's triple jump with a mark of 12.03 meters on her third attempt.
The Mean Green qualified 13 athletes in total to the West Prelims, including nine individuals and the men's 4x100-meter relay team.
Seniors Jordan Coates-McBride, Jared Johnson and Zion Hill saw their collegiate careers come to a close at the meet.
Coates-McBride became the first UNT male to qualify for the regional meet in the 400-meter hurdles since 2013 after posting a personal-best time at the conference meet. The senior who ran in 42 meets during his career at North Texas placed No. 42 in the West region with a time of 52.79 in the first round on Wednesday.
Johnson returned to UNT for his COVID year in 2024 and had a great season but was unfortunately limited with an injury sustained at the conference meet. Having previously qualified for the 100 meters, Johnson gave it a go on Wednesday, but pulled up during the race.
Johnson was also a consistent member of the relay team that qualified for the meet and was replaced by sophomore Evan Nichols in the race Friday. The men's 4x100 team narrowly missed out on a berth to the NCAA Championships finishing No. 16 in the West region with a time of 39.87.
A staple of the North Texas program since 2019, Hill finished his college career in the with a 23rd-place finish in the men's javelin on a throw of 65.49 meters. His career accolades include three Conference USA championships, an honorable mention All-America finish at the 2023 NCAA Championships and the school record in the javelin.
Junior Vitus Hansgaard competed alongside Hill in the men's javelin competition placing No. 44 in the region with a mark of 55.41 meters.
Excluding Marshall in the triple jump, the other four UNT women to qualify for the meet competed on Thursday. Throwers Allison Stigarll and Makayla Roy would be the first to compete in the morning session of the day.
Stigarll capped off her first season at North Texas with a hammer throw of 54.16 meters that put her in 41st place. The junior earned all-conference honors with a runner-up finish at the American Athletic Conference Championships and as the school record holder with a mark of 58.84 meters.
Roy would have the highest finish of any UNT female at the meet, placing No. 31 in the women's javelin competition. Her mark of 46.62 meters was her second-best throw of the season.
Thursday evening saw China Okoye and Deja Shaw-Huckaby compete for the Mean Green. Okoye entered the meet fresh off winning her first conference championship, but would place No. 44 at the meet with a time of 1:01.06. Shaw-Huckaby qualified for the first round with a personal-best time of 23.45 at the conference meet. The sophomore clocked a 23.57 in Fayetteville to finish No. 41 in the region.
Players Mentioned
Hurdles
/ Track & Field/XC
Throws
/ Track & Field/XC
Throws
/ Track & Field/XC
Sprints
/ Track & Field/XC
Multi-Events
/ Track & Field/XC
Sprints
/ Track & Field/XC
Throws
/ Track & Field/XC
Sprints
/ Track & Field/XC
Throws
/ Track & Field/XCBeyond The Green: Zion Hill
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