LEXINGTON, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University's Miguel Baidal punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the men's 10,000 meters on Wednesday night.
 
The senior from Alicante, Spain earned his spot by finishing eighth out of 48 competitors at the NCAA East First Rounds, hosted by the University of Kentucky in Lexington. He ran a time of 28:52.95.
 
Baidal is the second Colonel in the last three years to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the men's 10K, joining Nikodem Dworczak in 2024.
 
The national championship meet will be held June 10-13 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
 
Fellow senior Mohammed Jouhari also represented EKU in the men's 10,000 meters on Wednesday at the NCAA East First Rounds.
 
Bradley Giblin, meanwhile, advanced to the quarterfinals of the men's 1,500 meters on Wednesday. He cruised to a fourth place finish in his heat, running a time of 3:43.27 to go through. He will race in the quarterfinals on Friday at 5:15 p.m. for a chance to punch his ticket to Eugene.
 
EKU's Brighter Jepchumba will race in the women's 10,000 meters on Thursday night at 9:10 p.m.