Photo by: Scott Kinser/DavidsonPhotos.com
Breiter, Smith and Stajos Qualify for NCAA East Regional
5/16/2024 2:00:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Three Davidson Wildcats qualified for the 2024 NCAA East Regional preliminaries which will be held May 22-24 in Lexington, Ky. Jayden Smith (110 hurdles), Grahm Breiter (3,000-meter steeplechase) and Jack Stajos (discus) each made the cut.
To qualify, these three 'Cats ranked inside the top-48 in their respective events across the entire East Region. It marked the third consecutive qualifying season for Smith, while it's the first NCAA bid for both Breiter and Stajos.
"All three athletes have had strong performances these last couple weeks," said head coach Matt Stuck. "Jack and Grahm with PR's last weekend to claim their spot at regionals, Jayden and Grahm having comfortable wins at the A-10 Championships, and Jack with big performances in his last two weekends."
Smith, a junior from Richmond, Va., comes into this year's regional fresh off a three-peat as the Atlantic 10's 110-meter hurdle champion. He owns the seventh-fastest qualifying time behind his 13.46-second performance at the USC Outdoor Open back in April. This outdoor season, Smith has times of 13.93 (+2.6), 13.81 (two times) and 13.77 (+0.8). He has also won the event in his last three appearances.
Also a junior, Breiter continues to etch his name in the record book as the top man in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. In just seven appearances, the Ladera Ranch, Calif., native owns the four fastest times in school history and becomes the first Wildcat to run the steeplechase at NCAAs. The third-year man made one last push to solidify his qualifying position last weekend at High Point's Dani Palooza Last Chance. Breiter took first place and broke his previous record by two seconds with a time of 8:51.78. He ranks 34th in the region.
In his final year, Stajos has become the greatest discus thrower in Davidson history. The local product out of Charlotte currently owns all 10 of the program's best marks. Six of them have come in the last three months. Stajos was on the outside looking in after the A-10 Championships, but he made a historic push during last-chance weekend. The veteran notched a then-record throw of 52.55 meters to take first place at Mount Olive's Last Chance Meet on Friday before resetting the record two days later with a mark of 54.93 at the Dani Palooza on Sunday. His latest mark put him 39th in the region.
"We are in a could spot right now," added Stuck. "All of these guys have what it takes to advance, and we are excited to see how they compete next weekend."
When the Rubber Meets Road
Regional action will begin on Wednesday, May 22 with the first round of the 110 hurdles at approximately 6 p.m. First-round action in the discus will begin on Friday, May 24 at approximately 1 p.m., and quarterfinal heats of the 3000 steeplechase and 110H will take place on Friday evening at 5:40 and 6:15 p.m., respectively. A full schedule of events can be found here, and all four days of the NCAA Preliminaries will be streamed on ESPN+.
How to Advance
The top 12 competitors from each individual event advance from each first round. The list of qualifiers from each event contested in the first rounds will be announced by 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 26. The final list of qualifiers for the NCAA Championships will be announced by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28.
To qualify, these three 'Cats ranked inside the top-48 in their respective events across the entire East Region. It marked the third consecutive qualifying season for Smith, while it's the first NCAA bid for both Breiter and Stajos.
"All three athletes have had strong performances these last couple weeks," said head coach Matt Stuck. "Jack and Grahm with PR's last weekend to claim their spot at regionals, Jayden and Grahm having comfortable wins at the A-10 Championships, and Jack with big performances in his last two weekends."
Smith, a junior from Richmond, Va., comes into this year's regional fresh off a three-peat as the Atlantic 10's 110-meter hurdle champion. He owns the seventh-fastest qualifying time behind his 13.46-second performance at the USC Outdoor Open back in April. This outdoor season, Smith has times of 13.93 (+2.6), 13.81 (two times) and 13.77 (+0.8). He has also won the event in his last three appearances.
Also a junior, Breiter continues to etch his name in the record book as the top man in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. In just seven appearances, the Ladera Ranch, Calif., native owns the four fastest times in school history and becomes the first Wildcat to run the steeplechase at NCAAs. The third-year man made one last push to solidify his qualifying position last weekend at High Point's Dani Palooza Last Chance. Breiter took first place and broke his previous record by two seconds with a time of 8:51.78. He ranks 34th in the region.
In his final year, Stajos has become the greatest discus thrower in Davidson history. The local product out of Charlotte currently owns all 10 of the program's best marks. Six of them have come in the last three months. Stajos was on the outside looking in after the A-10 Championships, but he made a historic push during last-chance weekend. The veteran notched a then-record throw of 52.55 meters to take first place at Mount Olive's Last Chance Meet on Friday before resetting the record two days later with a mark of 54.93 at the Dani Palooza on Sunday. His latest mark put him 39th in the region.
"We are in a could spot right now," added Stuck. "All of these guys have what it takes to advance, and we are excited to see how they compete next weekend."
When the Rubber Meets Road
Regional action will begin on Wednesday, May 22 with the first round of the 110 hurdles at approximately 6 p.m. First-round action in the discus will begin on Friday, May 24 at approximately 1 p.m., and quarterfinal heats of the 3000 steeplechase and 110H will take place on Friday evening at 5:40 and 6:15 p.m., respectively. A full schedule of events can be found here, and all four days of the NCAA Preliminaries will be streamed on ESPN+.
How to Advance
The top 12 competitors from each individual event advance from each first round. The list of qualifiers from each event contested in the first rounds will be announced by 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 26. The final list of qualifiers for the NCAA Championships will be announced by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28.
Players Mentioned
Mid-Distance/Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & FieldA10 4x400m champions
Wednesday, May 12
Catching Up With the 'Cats: Renny Waldron
Thursday, September 03
Davidson moves to the Atlantic 10
Sunday, August 18
