Wednesday, May 24
Sacramento, Calif.
9:50 PM
Creighton University
at
NCAA West Regional
Tommy Ward
Tommy Ward Qualifies for NCAA West Regional in 800 Meters
5/15/2023 7:05:00 PM | Men's Cross Country / Track
Sophomore will race in the 800 meters
OMAHA, Neb. – Tommy Ward has made history! The redshirt sophomore member of Creighton's men's track program is headed to the NCAA West Regional Championships after qualifying in the 800 meters.
The Maryville, Tenn., product qualified for the West Regional thanks to his time of 1:48.80 on April 28th at the Kip Janvrin Open hosted by Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, far exceeding his best time from last season of 1;54.77. It's the latest improvement for Ward, who's best time in high school at 800 meters was 1:56.24, though it's worth noting he missed his senior campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ward did not compete during his freshman year on campus while overcoming an injury, but has recovered quite nicely. Last October, Ward broke Creighton cross country's 8K school record when he clocked a time of 24:33 at the Platte River Rumble. He's now experiencing even more success on the oval.
Ward's accomplishments have him surpassing some of the University's best times in the event (then run at 880 yards), including the legendary Cleyon "Stew" Stewart, who competed in the 1924 Olympic Trials.
Creighton ran their first official NCAA track season since 1961 during the spring of 2022 as a distance-based track program, utilizing the cross country roster. Led by head coach Chris Gannon and assistant Matthew Fayers the Bluejays currently compete as an independent in track.
This year the team has competed at prestigious meets such as the Drake Relays, Kansas Relays and even headed to the West Coast to compete at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., 10 days ago.
Ward is one of 48 runners who qualified for the West Regional in the 800 meters, which will be held at 9:50 p.m. Central on Wednesday, May 24th. There will be six heats of eight contestants, with 24 advancing (top three from each race, plus the next six fastest) to the May 26th quarterfinals at 9:05 p.m. Central. Of those 24, the top 12 (top three from each race, plus the next three fastest) will advance to the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas, from June 7-10.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
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