Day One Recap

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Southeastern Louisiana University track & field team will be represented at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championship Final in Austin in two weeks after Slavko Stevic clinched a spot in it in the high jump on the third day of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championship East First Round Friday at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium.
 
Needing to outlast 35 of the 47 other high jumpers who started the competition, the field quickly started to get whittled down at a lower height as Stevic waited to enter the competition at 2.04 meters (6'8.25"). When it was his turn, he easily cleared 2.04 meters as well as 2.09 meters (6'10.25"), setting himself up for a potentially clinching jump as only 15 total jumpers remained at that point. Stevic would need a second attempt to get over 2.14 meters (7'0.25"), but when he did, a spot in Austin was confirmed as only eight other competitors cleared the height, locking in the 12 spots to advance to the National Final.
 
Stevic becomes the first Southeastern male athlete to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships final site since the 4x400-meter relay team of Rodney Ruffin, Johnathon Sawyer, Donovan Storr, and James Benson II made the national semifinal in Eugene, Ore. in 2021. The men's high jump final at the 2023 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Championships will be on Friday, June 9^th at 7:30 p.m. at the Mike A. Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas.
 
In the day's other action for the Lions, Eugene Omalla finished the first heat of the 400-meter dash quarterfinals in seventh place with a time of 47.46 seconds, giving him the 18^th fastest time in the quarterfinal, not quick enough to advance. He then joined his brother Jaimie Omalla, Agerian Jackson, and Javon-Taye Williams for the 4x400-meter relay quarterfinal to close out the day's competition. The Lions finished the second heat in a time of 3:10.81, good for fifth place in the heat and the 16^th fastest time overall, but not fast enough to advance to Austin for the national semifinal.
 
SLU wraps up competition in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field National Championship East First Round on Saturday with Kristian Jackson looking to return to the national final in discus for the second year in a row when she takes the field at noon central time. Southeastern's final competitor will be Katrine Olsen as she looks to claim a spot in the high jump competition, which starts at 1:30 p.m. central time on Saturday at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida. The meet will be 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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