Wednesday, May 24
Sacramento, Calif.
9:50 PM
Creighton University
at
NCAA West Regional
Tommy Ward
Photo by: Bob Solorio
Tommy Ward Makes History at NCAA Regionals
5/24/2023 10:30:00 PM | Men's Cross Country / Track
Sophomore falls just shy of advancing to Friday
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Redshirt sophomore Tommy Ward became the first member of Creighton men's track program to compete at the NCAA West Regionals, but did not advance in the 800 meters in competition held Wednesday evening at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, Calif.
Ward came in with the sixth-fastest qualifying time in his eight-man heat and finished sixth with a time of 1:51.99. It was the sophomore's third-fastest time of the spring in the event, and just shy of the 1:49.95 that he would have needed to advance. Ward's time on Wednesday night ranked 42nd-fastest in the field in Sacramento.
His first trip around the oval came in 53.72 and had him in seventh place before closing in 58:27 to move up a spot in the standings.
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.
Yusuf Bizmana from Texas entered the day with the time top in the country and won the heat in a time of 1:49.38. Also advancing were the Iowa State duo of Darius Kipyego (1:49.64) and Peter Smith (1:49.96). The top-three finishers in each race, plus the next six fastest times, advance to Friday's 9:05 p.m. Central quarterfinal. Of those 24 men, 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.
"Really proud of what Tommy and our entire program has achieved," said head coach Chris Gannon. "To have a NCAA qualifier in only our second year of track, is an incredible accomplishment and a big step for our program. Tonight wasn't our best but that won't define Tommy or this team. As we say, 'Eyes Up. The future is bright.'"
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 Gannon and assistant Matthew Fayers the Bluejays currently compete as an independent in track.
Ward came in with the sixth-fastest qualifying time in his eight-man heat and finished sixth with a time of 1:51.99. It was the sophomore's third-fastest time of the spring in the event, and just shy of the 1:49.95 that he would have needed to advance. Ward's time on Wednesday night ranked 42nd-fastest in the field in Sacramento.
His first trip around the oval came in 53.72 and had him in seventh place before closing in 58:27 to move up a spot in the standings.
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.
Yusuf Bizmana from Texas entered the day with the time top in the country and won the heat in a time of 1:49.38. Also advancing were the Iowa State duo of Darius Kipyego (1:49.64) and Peter Smith (1:49.96). The top-three finishers in each race, plus the next six fastest times, advance to Friday's 9:05 p.m. Central quarterfinal. Of those 24 men, 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.
"Really proud of what Tommy and our entire program has achieved," said head coach Chris Gannon. "To have a NCAA qualifier in only our second year of track, is an incredible accomplishment and a big step for our program. Tonight wasn't our best but that won't define Tommy or this team. As we say, 'Eyes Up. The future is bright.'"
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 Gannon and assistant Matthew Fayers the Bluejays currently compete as an independent in track.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country / Track
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