Track and Field Athletes Qualify for Nationals

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Track and Field Athletes Qualify for Nationals

Jacob Deavers and Tiffany Dinh, track and field athletes

Jacob Deavers and Tiffany Dinh of the Cal Poly Pomona track and field program have qualified for the National Championships, NCAA Division II officials announced Tuesday.

The championships will be held May 24 to 26 at the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl in Pueblo, Colo. Colorado State Pueblo is the host for the 2012 and 2013 D-II National Championships.

For Deavers, a senior out of Lake Elsinore, this will be his second appearance on the track and field national stage. At the 2011 championships in Turlock, Deavers finished seventh in the 400-meter hurdles event to earn All-American recognition.

He’s raced to a career-best 52.18 in the 400-meter hurdles on two different occasions in 2012. The first came during day one of the Cal/Nevada Invitational in Claremont while the second took place on the final day of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships. The 52.18 ranks fifth all-time in the Broncos’ record books and is at No. 15 nationally going into the D-II Championships. Lincoln’s Sabiel Anderson is the favorite with a seed time of 51.03.

Dinh is also familiar with the National Championships setting, having two appearances at that stage with the cross country team. In 2010 as a sophomore, she helped the program advance to the championships for the first time in 25 years. This past fall, Dinh qualified individually for the D-II National Championships in Spokane, Wash., where she placed 36th to receive All-American distinction.

A junior out of Norwalk, Dinh has put together a breakout track and field campaign in 2012. She’s excelled in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter events, using a clutch 35:45.87 10K performance on Saturday at Cal State L.A. to qualify for nationals.

Deavers and Dinh will step onto the track to compete right around the same time on Thursday, May 24. Deavers will be aiming for a strong showing in the 6:55 p.m. PDT (7:55 p.m. MDT) prelim portion of the 400-meter hurdles. Dinh’s 10,000-meter finals race will start at 7:10 p.m. PDT (8:10 p.m. MDT). The finals portion of the 400-meter hurdles will be held at 6:30 p.m. PDT (7:30 p.m. MDT) on Saturday, May 26.