INDIANAPOLIS – 11 Colonels qualified for the NCAA East First Rounds on May 22-25 in Lexington, which is the most qualifiers for the regional meet in program history.
Hakim Abouzouhir (men's 3,000-meter steeplechase), Jan Badia (men's 1,500 meters),
Samuel Carter (men's triple jump),
Nikodem Dworczak (men's 10,000 meters),
Taha Er Raouy (men's 5,000 meters), Pedro Garcia-Palencia (men's 3,000-meter steeplechase),
Kristian Imroth (men's 3,000-meter steeplechase),
Mohammed Jouhari (men's 10,000 meters),
Keeton Thornsberry (men's 3,000-meter steeplechase),
Khadija Ennasri (women's 3,000-meter steeplechase), and
Anouk van Gils (women's 3,000-meter steeplechase) will compete at Kentucky's Outdoor Track & Field Complex for a chance to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Oregon's Hayward Field.
The top-48 performances from the season in every event – after scratches, injuries, etc. – earned entry to the NCAA East First Rounds. The top-12 finishers in each event at the East and West Regionals will advance to the NCAA Championships on June 5-8 in Eugene, Oregon.
Six Colonels qualified for the NCAA East First Rounds in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, which is the most in the East Region and the third highest in the nation, behind BYU (8) and Utah State (7).
The EKU men finish the regular season ranked No. 50 in the USTFCCCA team rankings, which is the highest in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Maroon and White are ranked ahead of several Power 5 teams, such as Wisconsin, UCLA, Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, Louisville, and Oregon.
Hakim Abouzouhir
The 2023 First Team All-American qualified for the regional meet for the second straight season, recording a personal-best 3,000-meter steeplechase time of 8:25.37 at the Bryan Clay Invitational. His time ranks No. 2 in the nation, and it is the second-best in school history.
Abouzouhir will race in the quarterfinals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday, May 24 at 5:40 p.m. ET.
Jan Badia
Badia achieved a personal-best 1,500-meter time of 3:41.89 at the Wake Forest Invitational, which is the second-best in program history. His time ranks No. 2 in the ASUN and No. 60 in the East Region.
He earned a silver medal at the ASUN Outdoor Championships in the 1,500 meters, posting a time of 3:46.50.
The junior will race in the first round of the 1,500 meters on Wednesday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Samuel Carter
Carter won his third career gold medal for the triple jump at the ASUN Outdoor Championships, leaping a personal-best 15.42m, which is the fifth-best in school history. His time ranks No. 1 in the ASUN and No. 36 in the East Region.
The Savannah, Ga. native will compete in the first round of the triple jump on Friday, May 24 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Nikodem Dworczak
Dworczak clocked a personal-best 10,000-meter time of 28:48.81 to finish third at the Penn Relays, which is the fifth-best in school history. His time ranks No. 2 in the ASUN and No. 30 in the East Region.
The Koscian, Poland product will race in the semifinals of 10,000 meters on Wednesday, May 22 at 9:10 p.m. ET.
Taha Er Raouy
Er Raouy qualified for the NCAA East First Rounds in his freshman season, posting a college-best 5,000-meter time of 13:36.76 to win the event at the Stanford Invitational, which is the third-best in program history. His time ranks No. 1 in the ASUN, No. 15 in the East Region, and No. 29 in the country.
The Marrakech, Morocco native will race in the semifinals of the 5,000 meters on Friday, May 24 at 8:10 p.m. ET.
Pedro Garcia-Palencia
Garcia-Palencia qualified for the NCAA East First Rounds for the third time in his EKU career for the 3,000-meter steeplechase, recording a time of 8:54.20 at the
Rick Erdmann Twilight. His time ranks No. 7 in the ASUN and No. 52 in the East Region, as he was the last runner to qualify in the steeplechase.
The Benicassim, Spain product will race in the quarterfinals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday, May 24 at 5:40 p.m. ET.
Kristian Imroth
Imroth won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Penn Relays after an incredible finish, running a personal-best time of 8:35.32. His time ranks No. 2 in the ASUN, No. 7 in the East Region, and No. 13 in the nation.
The junior will race in the quarterfinals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday, May 24 at 5:40 p.m. ET.
Mohammed Jouhari
Jouhari recorded a personal-best 10,000-meter time of 28:29.56 at the Stanford Invitational, which is the second-best in school history. His time ranks No. 1 in the ASUN, No. 10 in the East Region, and No. 30 in the country.
The Fes, Morocco product will race in the semifinals of 10,000 meters on Wednesday, May 22 at 9:10 p.m. ET.
Keeton Thornsberry
Thornsberry will compete at the NCAA East First Rounds in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for the second straight season, posting a personal-best time of 8:50.82 at the Wake Forest Invitational. His time ranks No. 3 in the ASUN and No. 34 in the East Region.
The Louisville product will race in the quarterfinals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday, May 24 at 5:40 p.m. ET.
Khadija Ennasri
Ennasri will race at the NCAA East First Rounds in her freshman year, clocking a college-best 3,000-meter steeplechase time of 10:12.45 at the Bryan Clay Invitational. Her time ranks No. 1 in the ASUN, No. 23 in the East Region, and No. 43 in the nation.
She earned a silver medal for the steeplechase at the ASUN Outdoor Championships, posting a time of 10:20.37.
The freshman will race in the quarterfinals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Saturday, May 25 at 5:40 p.m. ET.
Anouk van Gils
Van Gils will race at the regional meet for the second consecutive year, running a personal-best 3,000-meter steeplechase time of 10:23.05 to earn a bronze medal for the third straight season at the ASUN Outdoor Championships. Her time ranks No. 3 in the ASUN and No. 41 in the East Region.
The Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands native will race in the quarterfinals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Saturday, May 25 at 5:40 p.m. ET.
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