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Led by middle-distance stars Shaquille Walker and Shea Martinez-Collinsworth, BYU will be well-represented at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field West Preliminaries this weekend in Lawrence, Kan.

A total of 48 BYU athletes — 30 men and 18 women — have qualified for the competition, which begins Thursday at Rock Chalk Park and runs through Saturday.

The BYU men will have the third-most entries at the meet, while the BYU women will have the 20th-highest total.

Utah State has qualified 20 athletes for the prelims, tying a school record, while Utah, Weber State and Southern Utah will send four apiece.

The top 12 competitors in each event will move on to the NCAA Division I championships in Eugene, Ore., June 8-12.

BYU's Walker enters the meet as the No. 1 seed in the 800 meters, while Martinez-Collinsworth has posted the third-fastest 800-meter run in the country for women this year.

BYU has qualified three men in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, including Aaron Fletcher, who holds the third-fastest time in the West in that event this year.

Four BYU women — Anginae Monteverde, Nicole Naatjes, Sierra Hansen and Kylee Trageser — will compete in the pole vault.

Other BYU athletes who are seeded No. 12 or better include Madison Pachner in the women's discus (No. 11), Jesse White in the men's 400 meters (No. 9) and Zach Blackham in the men's high jump (No. 7).