Liberty University
NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round
Mitchell Punches Ticket to Eugene in Men's Shot Put
5/26/2021 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Liberty junior Kyle Mitchell successfully punched his ticket to the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the men's shot put on Wednesday. His clutch performance headlined the Flames' opening day of competition at the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round meet at Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium.
Mitchell clinched his trip to Eugene with a 63-0 effort on his third and final attempt. That placed the Kingston, Jamaica native sixth among the event's 12 qualifiers to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Before Mitchell stepped into the ring for round three, however, he had been facing the prospect of some unwanted déjà vu. Two years ago, Mitchell had placed the dreaded 13th in the shot put at this meet, finishing just 1.25 inches away from advancing to the NCAA national championship. On Wednesday, Mitchell again sat in 13th position after his first two throws measured 60-11.5 and 61-0. He then leapfrogged into a national-qualifying position with his big 63-0 effort in round three.
The ASUN outdoor men's shot put champion and program record holder at 64-9.75, Mitchell is the Flames' first men's shot putter since Ryan Smith in 2013 to advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He is also the first ASUN men's shot putter to advance since Kennesaw State's Joshua McNair in 2011.
Mitchell will throw the shot put at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships on June 9 with the event scheduled to begin at 10:10 p.m. Eastern. The meet will take place at the new Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Quinten Clay and Ally Kipchirchir stood out among the Flames' non-qualifiers on the day. Competing in the long jump for only the fifth time in his career, Clay reached 24-1.75 for 22nd place. That left the ASUN indoor and outdoor long jump champion just 6.5 inches away from qualifying to Eugene as a freshman.
Kipchirchir led for much of his first round heat in the men's 800 before finishing fourth in 1:51.18. That left the sophomore one tenth of a second away from advancing to Friday's quarterfinal round.
Men's NCAA National Qualifiers
Kyle Mitchell – Shot Put – 63-0
Up Next
Women's events will take center stage on Thursday at the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round meet. Liberty will get things started at 1:30 p.m. with the women's javelin (Kali Grayson and Mackenzie Hainley) and the women's hammer (Chelsea Igberaese).
