NCAA West Preliminaries
Mustangs Wrap Up West Prelims; 3 Qualify for Nationals
6/1/2025 8:00:00 AM | Track and Field
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Senior Melody Nwagwu and junior Tatiana Cornejo capped off Cal Poly track and field’s showing at the NCAA West Preliminaries on Saturday at E.B. Cushing Stadium.
The pair were the only Mustangs that competed on the final day of the four-day qualifying meet for the NCAA Championships.
Cornejo finished off a remarkable season by placing 21st overall in the women’s 5,000-meter semifinals with a time of 16:22.30. The 2024 Big West Women’s Track Athlete of the Year improved upon her finish at last year’s West Prelims in the same event, finishing seven places higher and crossing the finish line over 14 seconds sooner.
The Elk Grove, Calif. native defended her Big West title in the women’s 1,500 this season to become the first repeat Big West champion in the women’s 1,500 since 2017-2018 and the first in Cal Poly history. She also took third in the 800 at the conference meet, allowing her to become a five-time All-Big West honoree in track and field for the Mustangs. Cornejo recorded three top-10 all-time marks in program history this season, shattering a 42-year-old school record in the 5,000 (15:44.59) by over six seconds, running the third-fastest 1,500 (4:15.14) and best in 36 years, and posting the fifth-fastest 800 time (2:07.12) in school history.
Nwagwu took 35th in the women’s triple jump First Round with a mark of 41 feet, 2.25 inches, improving upon her 41st-place finish at last year’s West Prelims. The performance was the final of Nwagwu’s outdoor track and field career. She will be returning this coming winter for her final indoor season of eligibility. The 2024 Big West Women’s Field Athlete of the Year qualified for regionals this year by recording a season best in the triple jump (41-9.75) to place second at the Big West Championships. The indoor school record holder in the long jump ranks No. 2 in program history in the women’s outdoor long jump and No. 4 in the triple jump, and finishes her outdoor career as a five-time All-Big West honoree.
Cal Poly ended the NCAA West Prelims with three NCAA qualifiers — Aidan McCarthy (men’s 800-meter), Rory Devaney (men’s hammer throw) and Travis Martin (men’s hammer throw). The three NCAA qualifiers are the most by the program in a single season since the Mustangs sent three athletes to nationals in 2005 (two women, one man) and are tied for the most individual qualifiers ever by the Cal Poly men’s team, joining the 1979 squad. This also marks the first time since 2015 (Danielle Bryan, Ashley Windsor) that Cal Poly has qualified multiple athletes for the NCAA Championships.
All three Mustangs will compete on the opening day of the NCAA Championships on Wednesday, June 11, at University of Oregon’s prestigious Hayward Field. Devaney and Martin are scheduled to take part in the NCAA final of the men’s hammer throw at 1:30 p.m. on that day, while McCarthy will race in the 800 semifinals at 5:58 p.m. The 800 final is set for Friday, June 13, at 6:14 p.m. The meet will be streamed live on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Cal Poly Results
NCAA West Prelims Day 4
Women’s 5,000-meter Semifinals: 21, Tatiana Cornejo, 16:22.30.
Women’s triple jump First Round: 35, Melody Nwagwu, 41-2.25.
