MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Eight members of the West Virginia University track and field team have qualified for the 2023 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Round from May 24-27, in Jacksonville, Florida, as announced by the NCAA on Thursday.

Redshirt seniors Hayley Jackson (1,500 meters) and Mikaela Lucki (1,500 meters, 5,000 meters), seniors Rachel Butler (10,000 meters) and Katherine Dowie (3,000-meter steeplechase), redshirt junior Charlotte Wood (10,000 meters), junior Ceili McCabe (3,000 meter-steeplechase) and sophomore Cassandra Williamson (800 meters) all ranked inside the top 48 in their respective events in the NCAA East Region to earn a spot at the preliminary championships.

Junior Mikenna Vanderheyden also qualified for the preliminary round in the 3,000-meter steeplechase but was forced to scratch from the meet due to an injury.

The University of North Florida is set to play host to this year’s NCAA East Preliminary Round. The four-day competition will take place at Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville.

For each individual event contested at each of the preliminary sites, the top-48 declared student-athletes were accepted into the competition. The top-24 declared relay teams for each relay event were accepted into the competition. Combined events (heptathlon and decathlon) are not contested at the preliminary sites.

Qualifiers out of the East and West Regions who place in the top 12 in their events will advance to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas, from June 7-10.