Groves advances to finals

~ Southeast's Espiricueta failed to move on in the javelin.

Scott City High School graduate Loren Groves moved a step closer to her fourth All-American track and field award Wednesday.

Groves, a Kansas State senior, placed seventh in the hammer throw preliminaries at the NCAA outdoor championships in Fayetteville, Ark.

Groves was one of 12 from the 27-person field to advance to Friday's finals. The top eight American finishers Friday earn All-American honors.

Groves, who entered the national meet ranked eighth, had a top throw of 197 feet, 7 inches. Akron's Stevi Large led the way at 215-9. Six other throwers topped the 200-foot mark.

Groves placed fifth in the hammer throw at last year's NCAA outdoor meet. Her other All-American awards came in the indoor weight throw as she finished sixth in both 2007 and 2008.

Groves has been competing the entire outdoor season with a torn shoulder labrum suffered the week before this year's indoor nationals. She plans to have surgery soon after this week's meet concludes.

Espiricueta fails to qualify

Southeast Missouri State sophomore Samantha Espiricueta was 26th in Wednesday's javelin preliminaries and failed to qualify for Friday's finals.

Espiricueta, Southeast's lone representative at the outdoor meet, had a top throw of 138-7 as she battled stoppages due to heavy rain that plagued the competition.

Espiricueta's distance was well off her school-record 166-8 mark at the recent Mideast Regional that earned her second place and qualified her for nationals.

Willen to compete

Notre Dame Regional High School graduate Bryce Willen was scheduled to compete in the men's javelin, but rain forced delays and he did not finish competing before deadline.

Willen is a junior at Ole Miss.