DePaul University Athletics
Five Headed to Austin for West Preliminaries
5/23/2012 12:00:00 AM | TRACK AND FIELD
May 23, 2012
NCAA West Preliminary Schedule 
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AUSTIN, Texas - For the second time in as many years, the DePaul track and field team sends five student-athletes to the NCAA West Preliminaries to compete in their individual events. The Blue Demons will be represented by Melissa Fraser, Alanna Kovacs, Tim Nedow, Matt Babicz, and Matthew Graham this weekend in Texas.
The meet opens on Thursday for DePaul with the women's javelin and men's shot put events. For the javelin, Fraser and Kovacs enter the preliminaries as top competitors. Fraser's 54.24-meter throw from early on in outdoor season has held as the nation's second-best distance since April 5. Kovacs' season-best javelin distance of 51.75 meters enters the West Preliminaries as the country's 10th-best distance. Both women will compete out of flight three beginning at 4:30 p.m. CST.
In the men's shot put, set to begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Mike A. Myers Stadium, Nedow and Babicz are set to compete on behalf of the Blue Demons. The 2012 BIG EAST Conference Championships Most Outstanding Field Performer, Nedow enters the preliminaries with the sixth-farthest shot put distance in the nation at 19.69 meters. Babicz's career-best 18.33-meter distance in the shot put entered the preliminaries as the nation's 29th-best shot put throw. That distance earned Babicz the title of BIG EAST Champion in this season's conference outdoor finals.
On Friday, Kovacs returns to the stadium to compete in the women's discus at 11 a.m. So far this season, she has compiled four first-place finishes in the event while marking a season-best distance of 49.42 meters.
That night, DePaul's lone runner at the meet takes to the track as Graham takes on the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase just before 9 p.m. Graham, competing in the first of three heats, has garnered two first-place finishes in the event so far this season.
Early afternoon on Saturday will see the Blue Demons' final competition at the preliminaries when Nedow takes on the discus at 11 am. His season and career-best throw of 59.24 meters currently stands as the country's eight-best distance.
At the NCAA West Preliminaries, the DePaul student-athletes look to advance to the NCAA Division-I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa on June 6-9, 2012.
Players Mentioned
