LEXINGTON, KY – Eight members of the Monmouth University outdoor track and field team will complete in the East Preliminary of the 2017 NCAA Division 1 Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The event will take place at the University of Kentucky's Track & Field Complex from Thursday, May 25 to Saturday, May 27 in Lexington, KY.
 The top 48 athletes from each region (East and West) in each event qualify for the NCAA Championships. The East Region includes over 200 Division I schools. Four women and four men will represent Monmouth, including Andrea Olsen in the 400 Intermediate Hurdles, Tionna Garner for the 800 meter run, Stephanie Roones and Faith Blamon in the javelin throw, Tim Wilson and Troy Andretta in the hammer throw, Corey Murphy in the shot put and discus, and Mark Orlando in the javelin throw.
 "We are looking forward to continuing championship season with a great group at the First Round of NCAAs," said MAAC Men's and Women's Outdoor Coach of the Year Joe Compagni. "We were proud to earn nine qualifying spots and represent Monmouth at NCAAs. I know the group is hungry for more success and wants to make the most of the opportunity to advance to the NCAA Finals in Oregon."
The men's team earned five out of the MAAC's 13 qualifying spots this year, while the women earned four out of the five MAAC spots. The Hawks have the most NCAA Championship qualifiers in the conference after capturing its fourth consecutive men's and women's titles earlier this month.
Senior Andrea Olsen qualified 43rd with her winning 59.57 time in the 400 Hurdles at the MAAC Championships, which set a new meet record. Olsen was a 2016 NCAA qualifier, where she ran a 58.75 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Senior captain Tionna Garner ranked 35th in the region with an 800 meter time of 2:07.57 at the Larry Ellis Invitational at Princeton. Garner took first place in the 800 at the MAAC Championships with a time of 2:09.41, and was also the runner-up at the ECAC Division I Championships. This will be her second straight NCAA Championship appearance after advancing to the quarterfinals last year by running 2:06.49.
Junior Stephanie Roones will also be making her second NCAA appearance, as she ranked 30th in the East with a best throw of 47.76 meters (156'8") this year. Roones was the MAAC Championships runner-up to teammate Faith Blamon. At last year's NCAA First Round, Roones finished 26th with a throw of 43.53 meters.
Senior captain Faith Blamon qualified 15th in the women's javelin throw at 49.56 meters (162'7"), which was her first-place throw from the MAAC Championships. Blamon finished fourth at this year's Penn Relays with a toss of 45.87 meters. She was also a 2016 NCAA Championship qualifier, finishing 30th with a throw of 43.13 meters. In addition to being Monmouth's top-ranked female heading into NCAAs, Blamon also ranks 2nd in school history to NCAA qualifier Kelsey Reese, who threw 50.08m (164'4") in 2014.
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Junior Corey Murphy is the only Monmouth athlete that will be competing in two events in Kentucky. He qualified 8th in the shot put with a throw of 19.22 meters (63'0.75") and 34th in the discus with a throw of 54.42 meters (178'6"). Murphy's shot put placed him fourth in an elite field at the Virginia Challenge. He was awarded the MAAC Most Outstanding Performer for Field Events after taking home titles in both the shot put and discus. He will return to the NCAA Championships after finishing 37th in the shot put last year (16.97 meters), and is ranked 2nd in school history to 3-time All-American & Monmouth Hall of Famer Jon Kalnas.
Senior Tim Wilson qualified 39th with a winning throw of 62.03m (203'6") at the Lehigh Games. Wilson placed second at this year's MAAC Championships with a hammer throw of 61.29 meters. He was a 2016 NCAA Championship qualifier and took 46th with a throw of 57.85 meters.
Senior captain Troy Andretta qualified 48th with a throw of 59.77 meters (196'1"), which was good for third place at the Lehigh Games. Andretta finished third at the 2017 MAAC Championships at 57.66m, and will be advancing to his first NCAA Championships appearance.
Sophomore Mark Orlando will be making his NCAA Championships debut after qualifying 46th with a throw of 62.75 meters (205'10") at the Monmouth Season Opener. Orlando was the 2017 MAAC Champion in the javelin and also earned All-East honors for his finish at the IC4A Championships.
 Monmouth has sent 35 total athletes to the first round of the NCAA Championships over the last four years. Last season, for the first time in program history, three track athletes competed in the NCAA Quarterfinals in Garner, Olsen, and Geordan Ferguson. In both 2014 and 2015, Dylan Capwell advanced to the NCAA Finals in the 800-meter run to earn All-America honors. Monmouth track & field athletes have earned at least one All-America honors from the finals of the NCAA Championships in either indoor or outdoor track & field or both, six years in a row (2011-2017).
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