Photo by: Ben Solomon
Praprotnik Malej Places Six Better Than Seed as NCAA Regionals Close
May 25, 2019 | Track & Field
Meet Results
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Freshman triple jumper Trina Praprotnik Malej had a very strong day at the NCAA East Regional at Hodges Stadium on Saturday, but it was not enough to advance her to the national championship meet.
Despite that, Tulane still will send two athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas, in two weeks. Emmanuel Rotich (3K steeplechase) and Rebekah Markel (pole vault) both qualified for the national meet on Friday, but all eight Tulane student-athletes who competed in Jacksonville this week had strong showings.
"In general, the team and my coaching staff works really hard all year long to ultimately prepare to be at our best in the most important occasions," said Eric Peterson, Tulane's Director of Cross Country and Track & Field. "The East Regional meet is a pinnacle moment for a lot of the kids, and for Emmanuel and Rebekah it's a stepping stone that they have been successful at moving past to an even bigger test. I feel like all of the athletes who qualified for the east regional represented themselves and our program with honor, and I'm proud of the results that we were able to produce as a group here."
Competing among the best 48 triple jumpers in the region on Saturday, Malej reached 12.40 meters (40-8.25) on her third jump of the day to finish in 30th place. Entering the meet seeded 36th, Malej bettered her expected placing by six. She was fifth in her flight and ranked ninth place after the first 24 jumpers had competed.
Following a foul on her first jump of the day, Malej registered a mark of 12.38 meters on her second attempt of the day. On her final jump of the season, she bettered that by two centimeters to make it a distance of 12.40 meters.
Praprotnik Malej was excellent all year during her freshman campaign, scoring a point for Tulane at the conference indoor meet before nearly earning a spot on the podium at the conference outdoor championships. At that meet, Praprotnik Malej set two consecutive season bests on her second and sixth jumps of the day. Her mark of 12.67 meters on her final jump was her personal best and secured her spot at the regional meet.
Up next for Tulane will be the NCAA Outdoor Championships for Markel and Rotich. They will cap phenomenal seasons by representing the Green Wave in Austin, Texas, from June 5-7.
"Moving forward, I'm very excited for the opportunity that Rebekah and Emmanuel will have in Austin in two weeks, and if they continue to progress the way that they have all season long, the results can be spectacular," Peterson said. "As for the rest of the team, this is an ending point and a time where they're going to rest and recover.
"We'll use the summer to regroup and then get ready for a really big year in 2020. We have a very good returning group of athletes next year, and our expectations will be even higher at the conference level and the national level."
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Freshman triple jumper Trina Praprotnik Malej had a very strong day at the NCAA East Regional at Hodges Stadium on Saturday, but it was not enough to advance her to the national championship meet.
Despite that, Tulane still will send two athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas, in two weeks. Emmanuel Rotich (3K steeplechase) and Rebekah Markel (pole vault) both qualified for the national meet on Friday, but all eight Tulane student-athletes who competed in Jacksonville this week had strong showings.
"In general, the team and my coaching staff works really hard all year long to ultimately prepare to be at our best in the most important occasions," said Eric Peterson, Tulane's Director of Cross Country and Track & Field. "The East Regional meet is a pinnacle moment for a lot of the kids, and for Emmanuel and Rebekah it's a stepping stone that they have been successful at moving past to an even bigger test. I feel like all of the athletes who qualified for the east regional represented themselves and our program with honor, and I'm proud of the results that we were able to produce as a group here."
Competing among the best 48 triple jumpers in the region on Saturday, Malej reached 12.40 meters (40-8.25) on her third jump of the day to finish in 30th place. Entering the meet seeded 36th, Malej bettered her expected placing by six. She was fifth in her flight and ranked ninth place after the first 24 jumpers had competed.
Following a foul on her first jump of the day, Malej registered a mark of 12.38 meters on her second attempt of the day. On her final jump of the season, she bettered that by two centimeters to make it a distance of 12.40 meters.
Praprotnik Malej was excellent all year during her freshman campaign, scoring a point for Tulane at the conference indoor meet before nearly earning a spot on the podium at the conference outdoor championships. At that meet, Praprotnik Malej set two consecutive season bests on her second and sixth jumps of the day. Her mark of 12.67 meters on her final jump was her personal best and secured her spot at the regional meet.
Up next for Tulane will be the NCAA Outdoor Championships for Markel and Rotich. They will cap phenomenal seasons by representing the Green Wave in Austin, Texas, from June 5-7.
"Moving forward, I'm very excited for the opportunity that Rebekah and Emmanuel will have in Austin in two weeks, and if they continue to progress the way that they have all season long, the results can be spectacular," Peterson said. "As for the rest of the team, this is an ending point and a time where they're going to rest and recover.
"We'll use the summer to regroup and then get ready for a really big year in 2020. We have a very good returning group of athletes next year, and our expectations will be even higher at the conference level and the national level."
Players Mentioned
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Distance
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