COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The UC Santa Barbara Men's and Women's Track & Field teams will be represented by a total of ten athletes this week at the NCAA West Outdoor Regional meet, the most since 2017. The meet will be hosted by Texas A&M University from May 28-31, making for a four-day event that will determine who moves on to the National Championships in Eugene, Ore.
For the men, seven Gauchos qualified for Outdoor Regionals in their respective events. In the field, senior pole vaulter Eitan Goore, hammer throw specialist Andy Buttrell, and triple jumper Will Denning will represent the blue and gold. On the track, Curtis Borden III and Justin Steele will take on the 200m, freshman hurdler Finn Andrews will run the 400m hurdles, and distance runner Parker Simmons will look to impress in the 3000m steeplechase once again.
On the women's side, three athletes will constitute Santa Barbara. Triple jump specialist Kennedy Johnson will be the Gauchos sole field representative after taking home gold at the Big West Championships. Two-time Big West Athlete of the Week and freshman Mia Shepard will take on the 400m, which she has excelled in all season. Lastly, junior hurdles expert Maddie Conte will be the only Gaucho to compete in two events as she qualified for both the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles.
MEET SCHEDULE
On the first day of competition, Buttrell will take part in the first round of the men's hammer at 10 a.m. CT, Goore will start the pole vault semifinals at 5:30 p.m. CT, Andrews will run the 400m hurdles at 8:20 p.m. CT, and Borden III and Steele will finish the day off in the men's 200m at 8:45 p.m. CT.
The second day of events will feature Conte racing in the 100m hurdles at 6 p.m. CT and the 400m hurdles at 8:20 p.m. CT. Shepard will race in between Conte's events in the 400m at 7:25 p.m. CT.
Day 3 will feature the remaining first-round competitions for the men while Day 4 will feature the last first-round events for the women before athletes move on to quarterfinals. Day 3 will include Denning in the triple jump at 2:30 p.m. CT and Simmons in the 3000m steeplechase at 5:40 p.m. CT. Day 4 will witness Johnson in the women's triple jump at 2:30 p.m. CT.
The Gauchos will also have the chance to compete in more events on Friday and Saturday depending on their performances in prelims on the first two days. Andrews in the 400m hurdles (7:25 p.m. CT) and Borden III and Steele in the 200m (7:50 p.m. CT) would run on Friday. For the women, Conte would race in the 100m hurdles (6:35 p.m. CT) and 400m hurdles (7:25 p.m. CT) while Shepard competes at 6:50 p.m. CT on Saturday.
MORE DETAILS
For more information regarding the meet schedule, live results, and live streaming for NCAA West Outdoor Regionals, visit UCSBGauchos.com.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will have their last meet of the season at the National Championships, where senior multis specialist Brad Thomas has already qualified and will compete. The Gauchos will look to have more of their athletes represent them at Hayward Field on June 11-14.
