Live Results | TV: SEC Network+ | Watch Live: Day One • Day Two • Day Three • Day Four

COLLEGE STATION – A program record-tying six student-athletes from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) track & field teams are set to compete in eight different events at the NCAA Championships West Preliminaries Round Wednesday through Saturday at Texas A&M's E.B. Cushing Stadium.
 
"I'm just really excited for our kids to go compete." UTRGV head coach Darren Flowers said. "They're in top form. They're healthy, and that's the biggest thing once you get into these championship rounds. Anything can happen once you get there." 
 
In field events, competitors will only have three attempts each. The top 12 finishers in each event will advance to the NCAA Championships June 9-12 at Oregon's Hayward Field.
 
In track events, the top 24 runners will advance to the quarterfinal round before the top 12 advance to the NCAA Championships.
 
Kicking off the action for UTRGV is junior Harry Barthelemy Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the long jump. In his first season with the program after transferring from South Alabama, he enters as the 45^th-seed. His best mark was 7.48 meters, accomplished at the season-opening Longhorn Invitational on March 6, the second-best jump in program history.
 
Barthelemy will also compete in the triple jump Friday at 3:15 after qualifying as the 37^th-seed with a program-record leap of 15.39 meters at Rice's Victor Lopez Classic on March 27.
 
"I'm excited just because I've never really been that far," Barthelemy said. "Just the fact that it is going to be my first [NCAA] meet, probably my biggest meet, I'm excited."
 
Graduate student Paul May is slated to compete Wednesday at 6 and Friday at 1:30 in the shot put and discus, respectively. 
 
The Western Athletic Conference Men's Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year, May enters the shot put event after twice throwing a program record 18.09 meters, including at the WAC Championships, making him the 35^th-seed in the west region. He is also the 27^th-seed in the discus after uncorking a program-record 55.84-meter throw at Rice's J. Fred Duckett Twilight on April 24.
 
In an illustrious six-year career with UTRGV, this is May's first trip to the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
 
"It's something I've always wanted to do," May said. "My family is really happy about it. My coach is definitely ecstatic about it – he feels I should've made it twice by now – so me pulling it off this year is a good thing." 
 
Barthelemy and May are set to become the second and third UTRGV student-athletes to compete in multiple events, with Diamond Thomas first doing so in 2019 in the discus and shot put.
 
Postbaccalaureate student Idatonye Cheetham-West will kick off the action for UTRGV Thursday at 3 in the long jump. She qualified with a distance of 6.24 meters at the Rice Invitational, making her the 37^th-seed.
 
"She's been a huge force for us in the long jump," Flowers said. "She's been a multiple time conference champion, school record holder, and she always has a shot to jump 6.40, 6.50 meters. I think she is a viable candidate to make the national championships as long as she gets out there and performs and does what she is capable of doing."
 
Following Cheetham-West is junior Alexandrea Hurst at 6 in the shot put after setting the program record at 16.04 meters during Rice's Victor Lopez Classic on March 27 to enter as the 34^th-best thrower in the west region.
 
This is the second appearance for Hurst in the NCAA West Preliminary Round after placing 37^th in 2019 as a freshman with a mark of 14.94 meters.
 
"(Assistant coach Brad Foote) tells me all the time, I have the power. I have the technique. I just need to go out there and execute," Hurst said. "That's all I've had in my head for this past week of training, so I just got to do it." 
 
Redshirt freshman Tamara Woodley closes out the day at 7:25 by running in the opening round of the 400-meter dash. 
 
This season, Woodley clocked the second fastest time in program history at 53.54 during the WAC Outdoor Championships on May 16. She now holds four of the 10 fastest 400-meter dash times in program. 
 
"There are a lot of people out there that would want to have the same opportunity of going to preliminaries and I'm just glad that I have that opportunity," Woodley said. "It wasn't easy, but the harder the struggle, the sweeter the victory. I'm just very grateful for all of this to come together."
 
Woodley is the 47^th-seed and she can advance into the quarterfinals Friday at 7:20 p.m. with a top-24 time. She would then have a chance of moving on to the NCAA Championships with a top-12 time.
 
Lastly, graduate student Desirea Buerge takes center stage and steps into the ring Saturday at 1:30 in the discus.  
 
"I am feeling pretty good about it, sitting top five going into the meet makes me feel a little better," Buerge said. "Having some good practices building up to this meet has me in the right mindset to be able to go out Saturday and compete."
 
Buerge is looking to continue adding chapters to her breathtaking season as she set six of the top-10 throws in program history, included a record-breaking mark of 58.90 meters at UTSA's Roadrunner Invitational on April 14.
 
Buerge ranks 46^th in the world, sixth among Americans, sixth in NCAA Division I, and fifth in the west region. She is also set to throw at the U.S. Olympic Trial in Eugene Ore. from June 18-19. 
 
Looking for strong results against the best competition the NCAA has to offer, the message from Flowers to his student-athletes is one of tranquility, remining them to live in the moment.
 
"Just show up, chop wood and carry water," Flowers said. "Just get up there, do your thing and don't get intimidated. If you do what you did to get there, you are most likely going to be in a successful place."
 
SCHEDULE OF UTRGV PARTICIPATION
Wednesday
Men's Long Jump Semifinals, 3 p.m.
Harry Barthelemy
 
Men's Shot Put Semifinals, 6 p.m. 
Paul May
 
Thursday
Women's Long Jump Semifinals, 3 p.m. 
Idatonye Cheetham-West
 
Women's Shot Put Semifinals, 6 p.m. 
Alexandrea Hurst
 
Women's 400-Meter Dash Opening Round, 7:25 p.m. 
Tamara Woodley
 
Friday
Men's Discus Semifinals, 1:30 p.m. 
Paul May
 
Men's Triple Jump Semifinals, 3:15 p.m. 
Harry Barthelemy
 
Saturday
Women's Discus Semifinals, 1:30 p.m. 
Desirea Buerge
 
Women's 400-Meter Dash Quarterfinals (If Applicable), 7:20 p.m.
Tamara Woodley

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