NCAA West Preliminaries
McCarthy Advances to 800 Quarterfinals for Second Straight Year
5/24/2023 10:35:00 PM | Track and Field
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Redshirt sophomore Aidan McCarthy advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals in the men's 800-meter for the second straight year to highlight action for the five Mustangs that competed on Day 1 of the NCAA West Preliminaries on Wednesday at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium.
McCarthy continued his incredible season by cruising to the quarterfinals in the 800. McCarthy, the school record holder in the 800, won the third heat with a blistering time of 1:47.99. The time was the fifth fastest ran in the first round Wednesday.
The two-time defending Big West champion will be back in action at 7:05 p.m. Friday to compete in the quarterfinals. The top three finishers in each of the three heats and the next three fastest times will secure a berth to the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas, on June 7-10. At last year's West Prelims, McCarthy was just 0.08 seconds away from earning an automatic qualifier berth to the NCAA Finals in the 800, placing 15th overall with a time of 1:48.00.
In the men's 1,500-meter Wednesday, sophomore Spencer Pickren and redshirt junior Xian Shively both brought it in their first appearances at the NCAA West Preliminaries. Racing in heat four, Shively placed 15th overall with a time of 3:43.75, just 0.64 seconds away from advancing to the 1,500 quarterfinals on Friday night. He was also just 0.28 seconds off his personal best of 3:43.47, which is No. 7 all-time at Cal Poly.
Pickren secured 22nd overall in the first round, posting a time of 3:44.79 while competing in heat three. Pickren earned All-Big West honors in the 1,500 at the conference championships by placing third. He is No. 5 in school history (3:43.29) in the event.
Competing in his second straight regional meet, junior Mathis Bresko posted another strong performance in the men's pole vault. He cleared 17 feet, 0.75 inches to place 19th overall. Last year at the West Prelims in Arkansas, Bresko secured 13th, one spot short of advancing to the NCAA Finals.
Less than two weeks ago at the Big West Championships in Fullerton, Bresko cruised to his second consecutive conference title in the pole vault, clearing a lifetime best of 18 feet, 1 inch to soar to No. 4 on Cal Poly's all-time list.
Freshman Rory Devaney, the first West Prelims qualifier in the men's hammer throw in program history, capped off an historic first season Wednesday morning. He did not record a mark, but is primed for an incredibly bright future with the Mustangs. This season at the West Coast Relays, Devaney broke a 62-year-old school record in the hammer throw with a toss that qualified him for regionals (202 feet, 4 inches).
Devaney captured third in the hammer throw at the conference championships to become Cal Poly's first All-Big West honoree in the event. The San Luis Obispo native also owns the fifth-best mark in program history in the men's discus (176-8).
Freshman Lexi Evans will be the only Mustang in action during Day 2 of the NCAA West Preliminaries. She competes in the women's pole vault at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. You can watch the action here.
Players Mentioned
