SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Competing at the NCAA West Preliminary at Hornet Stadium on Thursday, Alexis Brenzil placed 13th in the javelin just missing a bid to the NCAA Championships by one spot, while Kristen LaCosse took 21st in the first round of the 400m hurdles to move on to the quarterfinals on Friday as part of the NCAA West Preliminary event.
 
Throwing at the NCAA West Preliminary for the third time in her career, Brenzil finished 13th in the javelin with a distance of 48.11m (157'10"). Brenzil would have a shot at the NCAA Championships if one of the top 12 qualifiers does not declare for the event.
 
Brenzil, who was seeded 23rd in the West Region in the javelin entering the event, had her best throw of the day on her first attempt, reaching 48.11m (157'10"). The throw put her in second place at the time. Brenzil's distance is the second best by a Rainbow Wahine at the West Preliminary, trailing only Annett Wichmann's mark of 163'1 at the 2009 regional event.
 
Brenzil's second attempt on Thursday sailed 44.36m (145'6") followed by a distance of 47.74m (156'7") on her third and final attempt. With 32 competitors done and the top flight still left to compete, Brenzil was in fourth place.
 
At the conclusion of all 48 competitors getting three attempts, Brenzil finished in 13th place.
 
Brenzil finished one spot behind Oregon's Keira McCarrell for the 12th and final automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. McCarrell's best mark of the day of 48.16m (158") was just two inches better than Brenzil's 13th place distance.
 
In previous NCAA West Prelim performances in the javelin, Brenzil placed 40th in 2018 as a sophomore and 22nd in 2017 as a freshman.
 
LaCosse ran a personal record time of 58.82 in the 400m hurdles in the first round of the NCAA West Preliminary to advance to the quarterfinals, scheduled for Friday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m. PT (4:00 p.m. HT) at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento.
 
The sophomore is one of 24 competitors to advance to the quarterfinals from the first round, which was comprised of 48 student-athletes.
 
In what is her first NCAA West Preliminary appearance, LaCosse turned in the 21st fastest time in the field. She finished fifth in her heat and had the fifth-fastest time among competitors not finishing in the top three in one of the six heats.
 
She was seeded 22nd overall entering the meet thanks to her previous personal best for the 400m hurdles of 58.83 set at the 2019 Big West Championships.
 
If LaCosse finishes in the top three of her heat or has one of the three best time times outside the top three in Friday's quarterfinals, she would move on to the NCAA Championships set for June 5-8 in Austin, Texas. It would mark the third time a Rainbow Wahine has qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 400m hurdles (Angela Williams in 1982 and 1984).