Senior Jarrett Mickens (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) learned Wednesday that he will represent Valparaiso in the long jump at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Bloomington, Ind. on Thursday, May 26 as the NCAA released the entrants for the two preliminary round sites today.

Mickens qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round with his school-record leap of 7.48 meters (24’6 ½”), which he unleashed April 30 at the Stan Lyons Invitational in Indianapolis, Ind.  The senior, who won the long jump in five of the eight meets the Crusaders have competed in during the outdoor campaign, enters the preliminary round ranked in a tie for 34th among the 48 entrants in the long jump.

Mickens becomes the first Crusader track and field athlete to earn a spot in the preliminary round, which replaced the old regional sites prior to the 2010 outdoor season and no longer grants automatic berths to conference event champions.  The senior has one final tune up before he competes on the 26th, as he will jump at the North Central Last Chance meet in Naperville, Ill. this Friday, May 20.