The field of competitors in Division I outdoor track and field has dwindled from thousands to the top 96 for each individual event. Of those 96 top athletes in each individual event, the top 48 in the East will compete in the NCAA East Regional in Jacksonville, Fla., starting Thursday, while the top 48 in the West will travel to Austin, Texas, to compete in the NCAA West Regional. Read more...

Photo: Redshirt senior thrower Alec Faldermeyer said he feels a bit of pressure entering the NCAA Regional because he’s never failed to qualify for the NCAA championship meet. For Faldermeyer to qualify for nationals for the fourth straight year, he must finish in the top 12 in the country at regionals. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)

Of the 21 participants competing in the women’s 800 meters on Saturday at the Pac-12 conference championship at UCLA’s Drake Stadium, Ally Courtnall was the lone senior. Read more...

Photo: Senior middle distance runner Ally Courtnall dropped her personal-record time in the 800 meters by over three seconds in Sunday’s Pac-12 championship. With her fifth-place time of 2:05.48, Courtnall qualified for the NCAA West Regional in Austin, Texas on May 28. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin)

Nicholas Scarvelis stepped onto the first-place podium after winning the shot put for the second consecutive season in the Pac-12 championship meet, defending his title but also searching to improve on his 64-5.25 showing. Read more...

Photo: Redshirt junior thrower Nicholas Scarvelis finished seventh in the discus but first in the shot put competition at this weekend’s Pac-12 championship. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin)

The end of the quarter serves as the possible culmination of everything track and field athletes throughout the nation have been working toward all season long: nationals. Read more...

Photo: Senior middle distance runner Ally Courtnall will enter the Pac-12 track and field championship with the 18th-best 800-meter time in the conference. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)

Hosting a critical meet like the Pac-12 championships can hold several key advantages for the host team. For one, the host athletes don’t have to spend time packing bags and traveling in airplanes or buses. Read more...

Photo: Junior middle distance runner Nick Hartle (left) said a home crowd can help athletes pull through in close races. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin)