Schedule | Watch (Thursday) | Watch (Saturday)
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – A well-earned rest following NM State's first ever outdoor track & field championship has the squad of seven student-athletes prepped and ready for the NCAA West Regional, hosted by Sacramento State University. Competition begins on Wednesday, May 24^th and will run through Saturday, May 27^th. The Aggies will participate on Thursday the 25^th and Saturday the 27^th.
 
The Starting Line

• Seven NM State student-athletes will prepare to continue their season at the NCAA West Regionals – achieved after recording top-40 times in the West Region.
• Twelve competitors from each individual event and twelve teams from each relay event advance from to the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas.
• The Aggies are no strangers to NCAA Regionals – sending student-athletes in each of the past five seasons (excluding 2020), with a high-mark of nine at last years competition.
• Bailey Beene, Emily Birch, Valissa Brown and Miranda Tcheutchuoa will be participating at the NCAA Regionals for the first time.

 
Back Track | 2023 WAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships | 5.11-13.23

• Emily Birch claimed NM State's best finish through two days of competition, taking home the silver medal after recording a final distance of 59.85m (196-4") in the hammer throw.
• Rebecca Green powered her way to a third-place finish in the shotput, recording a final distance of 15.22m (49-11.25"). This marks her best performance in any WAC Track & Field Championship (Indoor or Outdoor).
• Miranda Tcheutchuoa took third in the shot put with a mark of 57.75 (189-6") to earn six points; the first WAC Championship medal finish in her collegiate career.
• Valissa Brown set a personal best, with a final distance of 5.97m (19-7") to take eighth place and earn NM State another point in the standings.
• The 4x100 relay team of Sierra Brewer, Terice Steen, Jhana Downie and Grace Pendarvis combined to post a time of 44.80 – good for a silver medal finish and ties for the second fastest time in NM State history.
• The NM State trio of Aliyah Logan (13.08), Valissa Brown (13.32) and T'Erica Boyd (13.70) crossed the line in the 100m hurdles in second, third and sixth respectively.
• Bailey Beene took home a fourth-place finish in the javelin toss with a mark of 44.57m (146-3") – her best finish at any WAC Championship.
• Returning after her first-place finish in the 400m dash, Jhana Downie came from behind over the last stretch of the race to take her second gold medal of the afternoon, posting a time of 23.37 in the 200m.

 
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Joseph Rath – "Coming off the WAC Championships, we want to keep the momentum going, but we knew we wanted our athletes to recover physically and emotionally from everything that went into the meet. I know our coaches did a good job letting them recover and then quickly getting their minds on preparing for regionals. It's a meet that is getting tougher to qualify for every year, and this group had great seasons to make it here. Last year with how young we were, we wanted to make sure to soak in the experience to then come back and raise our level of execution this go around. We are very excited because we have a group that is ready to advance in rounds and really take advantage of the great competition that they deserve to take part in."

Terice Steen – "It is such a privilege to represent my school three times in a row! I'm super excited to see how this time will turn out."
 
2023 NCAA West Regional Participants
Jhana Downie, Junior, 200m & 400m

Returning to NCAA Regionals for the second straight season, Downie has had a remarkable outdoor season for NM State, culminating in 200m and 400m titles at the WAC Championships last weekend. She recorded her best marks of the season at the event - her time of 23.27 in the 200m dash currently ranks 36^th in the region, while a time of 52.72 in the 400m ranks 30^th.

Aliyah Logan, Junior, 100m Hurdles

Logan put together another season of excellence for the Crimson & White, recording a runner-up finish at the WAC Championships with a time of 13.08 – a personal best and the mark that qualified her for Regionals. This time ranks 13^th in the region, the highest placement for any NM State participant. This makes back-to-back regional campaigns for the Markham, Ontario product.

Valissa Brown, Junior, 100m Hurdles

Brown is making her first appearance at the NCAA Regionals, joining Aliyah Logan in the event. Splitting time between hurdles and the long jump, she completed another stellar campaign for NM State – finishing third at the WAC Championships with a time of 13.32. This is the 31^st best time in the region, and represents a personal best.

Terice Steen, Junior, 400m Hurdles

Steen returns to the NCAA Regionals for the third straight year, the only Aggie on the roster who's made more than one appearance. She earned a silver medal at the WAC Championships with a time of 58.36 – a personal best and the 22^nd fastest time in the region, while also adding another silver with the 4x100 team.

Emily Birch, Fifth year, Hammer Throw

Birch put together a breakout campaign for the Aggies, recording her first collegiate gold medal finish at the West Texas Spring Break Open, and a runner-up finish in the event at the WAC Championships – the highest placement she's achieved at the Championships (Indoor or Outdoor). Her mark of 61.02m (200-2") ranks 28^th in the nation – earned at the Pacific Coast Invitational. This will be her first time at the NCAA Regionals.

Miranda Tcheutchuoa, Sophomore, Hammer Throw

Tcheutchuoa made a strong impression in her first season with the squad, recording a quartet of top-five finishes in the hammer throw – including a first-place result at the Don Kirby Tailwind Open. Her personal best of 59.30m (194-7"), achieved at the Desert Heat Classic, ranks 38^th in the West region. This will mark her first career appearance at NCAA Regionals.

Bailey Beene, Junior, Javelin

Anchoring the Aggies on the javelin, Beene put together a strong season, taking first place at the Don Kirby Tailwind Open and a fourth-place finish at the WAC Championships. Her personal best mark of 48.34m (158-7") at the Tailwind Open is the 30^th best in the region. This will be her first time participating in the NCAA Regionals.
 
Schedule of Events
Thursday
(First Round) Hammer Throw – 11:00 a.m.
(First Round) Javelin – 2:30 p.m.
(First Round) 100m hurdles – 7:00 p.m.
(First Round) 400m – 8:25 p.m.
(First Round) 400m hurdles – 9:20 p.m.
(First Round) 200m dash – 9:45 p.m.
 
Saturday
(Quarterfinals) 100m hurdles – 7:15 p.m.
(Quarterfinals) 400m – 7:50 p.m.
(Quarterfinals) 400m hurdles – 8:25 p.m.
(Quarterfinals) 200m – 8:50 p.m.
 
For complete coverage of NM State Track & Field, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow us on Twitter (@NMStateXCTF), Instagram (@NMStateXCTF), and like us on Facebook (NMStateTrackXC).