JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Southeastern Louisiana University track & field team saw one of its four competitors advance as Eugene Omalla clinched a spot in the 400-meter dash quarterfinals as part of the first day of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships East First Round Wednesday at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium.
 
The day started early in the morning with Terrell Webb in the hammer throw competition. The second of his three throws would be his best of the day as it went 60.95 meters (199'11"). That throw placed him 28^th in the competition, ending his season as only the top 12 advanced to the NCAA Championships.
 
Track competition wrapped up day one for Southeastern, and it started with a Lion advancement. Eugene Omalla lined up in the fourth heat of the 400-meter dash and came home fifth in his heat in a time 46.98. With the three automatic spots from the heat taken, he would have to wait for the last two heats to finish to see if his time would be one of the next six fastest to get to move on. When the sixth heat finished, his time would be the last accepted into Friday's quarterfinal race, looking to be one of 12 to come from this meet to go to the NCAA Championships.
 
Up next was Javon-Taye Williams in the 800-meter run. He finished the third heat in 1:51.67, crossing the line sixth in the heat. When the competition was over, that would be the 40^th best time, ending his season on an individual level.
 
SLU's final event of the day was Agerian Jackson's run in the 400-meter hurdles. Jackson finished the fourth heat in sixth place, crossing the line in 52.72 seconds. When all six heats were completed, his time placed him 33^rd overall, ending his hurdling season. Both Williams and Jackson will now turn their attention to the 4x400-meter relay while Omalla will race the 400-meter dash quarterfinal prior to joining them in the relay on Friday.
 
The NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships East First Round continues on Thursday, though no SLU athletes are scheduled to compete on Thursday. The next events involving SLU athletes come on Friday as Slavko Stevic competes in the high jump competition with the aforementioned 400-meter dash quarterfinal and 4x400-meter relay. The 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship East First Round is taking place in Jacksonville, Fla. at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida. The meet is being live streamed on ESPN+ with live results also available.
 
PODIUM CLUB/S CLUB   
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the track and field program are encouraged to join the Podium Club. Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners. All membership fees and donations to Podium Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern track and field program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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