FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas — The 2024 NCAA West Preliminary Rounds begin Wednesday at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and Utah Valley University will have three of its program-record 14 student-athletes in action on the first day.
 
Nick Forsyth will compete in the javelin at 2 p.m. CT and is scheduled to throw in the first of three flights. WAC Champion Noah Peterson is in the first of two flights in the pole vault that will start at 6:30 p.m. CT. Both Forsyth and Franklin are vying for a trip to the finals in Eugene, Oregon and need to finish in the top 12 to qualify. Cameron Franklin will look to advance to Friday's quarterfinals in the 400 with the first round's heats set to begin at 7:25 p.m. CT. Franklin is in the first of six heats, with the top three from each heat and the next six times advancing to Friday's quarterfinal heats.
 
The women begin competition on Thursday with Kelsi Oldroyd in the javelin at 2 p.m. CT. Oldroyd is the two-time defending WAC Champion and a returning regional qualifier from last season in the javelin. She'll throw in the third and final heat, with the top 12 advancing to the finals at the University of Oregon.
 
Paige Young, who won the WAC title in the 400-meter hurdles at the recent championships, will race in the second of six heats, which begins at 8:20 p.m. CT. Young is aiming for a berth in Saturday's quarterfinal with the top three from each heat and the next three fastest times advancing. The quarterfinals have a 7:25 p.m. start time on Saturday. Morgan Nokes will compete in the 10k in the final race of the day at 9:10 p.m. CT. The 10,000-meter race is a national semifinal, with the top 12 times out of the 48 competitors advancing to the finals.  
 
On Friday, the relay squad of Franklin, Caleb Furnell, Kade Thompson, and Gabriel Remy will compete in the first event of the day on the track when the 4x100 is held. The quartet won the WAC Championship on May 11 in Orem and set a new program record in the process. They'll run in the first of three heats with the top three from each heat plus the next three fastest times advancing to the national finals.
 
The 3,000-meter steeplechase will feature two Wolverines with Adam Bunker in heat two and Joel Mendez in heat three, with the first heat set to begin at 5:40 p.m. CT. The top three from each heat plus the next three fastest times advance to Eugene. Bunker qualified for the finals in 2022 in Eugene and was an honorable mention All-American in the steeplechase. Also, should Franklin advance in the 400 on Wednesday, he will race in the quarterfinals on Friday at approximately 6:50 p.m. CT.
 
Oakley Olson will run in the first of three heats in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase on Saturday at 5:40 p.m. CT. The top three from each heat plus the next three fastest times advance to the finals. The 5,000-meter semifinals begin at 8:10 p.m. CT with Nokes and Caila Odekirk both running for the Wolverines. Odekirk won both the 5k and 10k at the WAC Championships two weeks ago on Hal Wing Track & Field.