Individual Track and Field Rankings Before Bengals Head to Conference

Pocatello, ID - While the Bengals make final preparations for the Big Sky Conference Championships in Portland, OR, some athletes are also gearing up to make a push to the NCAA Championships if they can advance out of the regional competitions. The team currently has 5 positions in the top-48 athletes for various events in the West Region, with each mark earning a chance to compete in Arkansas if they hold that top-48 ranking.

Starting with the current school record holder in the 3000m steeplechase, Ashley Reeck holds a ranking of 14th among West Regional schools and an overall NCAA ranking of 34th, which will give her a good opportunity at the end of May to qualify for nationals. Continuing in the running events, Seth Babbel is also ranked in the top-48 with his school record time of 28:50 in the 10,000m at 46th in the West. He will have to keep an eye on this ranking during conference and may have to improve upon this time to guarantee his spot in the regional round. 

In the throws, Idaho State holds three positions in the top-48, with Axel Tirado-Sanchez having regional qualifying marks in the discus and shot put. He is ranked 44th in the regional for shot put, with a mark of 17.86m (58' 7.25") and is ranked 6th in the region for discus with a mark of 59.88m (196' 5"), which also puts him 13th in the nation in the event. These marks should hold through the conference tournament and give him two chances at qualifying for nationals. Lastly, Chris Lupkes, after a great regular season, holds 43rd in the region for hammer with a mark of 62.88m (206' 3") and should advance him to Arkansas.

In the multis, Tom Stoelken currently is ranked 34th in the nation for the decathlon, with only the top-24 athletes advancing directly to the national championship, so he is looking for another breakout performance at the Big Sky Championships to increase his ranking and advance to his first NCAA championship as only a sophomore. 

Although these are the athletes currently ranked for the Bengals, there is still plenty of room and opportunity for the team to add to this list in the coming week and confirm their spot in the regional round.

The Bengals head to Portland, OR this weekend (13th-16th) to compete in the Big Sky Championships and look to secure some hardware and berths to the regional round.