Trio headed for Austin

Three members of the UC Irvine men’s track and field team have qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Austin, Texas.

Senior Sam Hyams and sophomore Riley Martin will compete in the 1,500 meters. The first round is scheduled for Thursday at 4 p.m. at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Twenty-four runners from the first round will advance to the quarterfinal Saturday at 4:45 p.m.

Hyams has a top time this season of 3 minutes, 46.21 seconds that he ran in the Beach Invitational at Cerritos College April 20. He competed in the 1,500 at the 2011 NCAA West Preliminary Round.

Martin, who won the 1,500 in last Saturday’s Big West Conference Championships, has a season-best time of 3:46.53 that he recorded in the adidas/Steve Scott Invitational at Anteater Stadium April 28.

Sophomore Mason Miller will compete in the shotput at Austin on Friday at 4 p.m. His top mark this season is 17.48 meters (57-4 1/4) that he posted at the Big West Championships in Northridge last Saturday. That mark ranks No. 3 in UCI history.

The top 12 finishers in each event from the West Preliminary Round will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 5-8.

The East Preliminary Round is being held at North Carolina A&T; in Greensboro, N.C.

— From staff reports