Northwest Wayne News

For the first time since 2017, Wayne State University's women's outdoor track and field team will have at least two athletes competing in the NCAA Championships. The event is scheduled to take place from May 22-24 at the Thunderbowl in Pueblo, Colorado.

Redshirt sophomore Keneisha Thomas from Madison Heights, Michigan, and senior Reagan Justice from Canton, Michigan, have qualified for the championships. Thomas will compete in the 400m hurdles while Justice will participate in the 10,000m run.

Head Coach Lofdahl expressed his enthusiasm for both athletes: "We are very excited for both Reagan and Keneisha to be competing in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. They both worked very hard, overcame health challenges, and are seeing the reward for all their time and effort."

Justice faced illness from late January to late April but managed to set three school records this year. She won her third consecutive conference title in the 10K race. Coach Lofdahl noted that Justice has been close to qualifying for NCAAs before but was determined to make it this spring: "She has been training at a very high level for several years...and is ready to make the most of her final race in a Warrior uniform."

Thomas made an impressive comeback after redshirting due to injury during the indoor season. She broke WSU's record four times this season in the 400 hurdles. "She dominated...breaking the WSU record four times," said Coach Lofdahl.

Thomas secured her spot with a qualifying time of 59.88 seconds at the Michigan Len Paddock Open on May 9th. Meanwhile, Justice recorded her qualifying time of 34:52.00 at Washington University Distance Carnival on March 27.

In past years, several Wayne State athletes have qualified for NCAA Championships including Hall of Fame inductee Jen Rock and Brittany Johnson in 2014.

Despite strong performances by WSU's relay teams this season, they did not qualify as only top-ranked teams are selected for nationals.

The preliminary round of Thomas's event is scheduled for Thursday evening on May 22nd while Justice will compete later that night in her final race.