Wayne State University Athletics

Women's Track & Field 5/13/2025 4:35:00 PM Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

Women's Track Has Two Qualifiers For NCAA Championships

Justice and Thomas heading to Pueblo, Colo. for NCAA Track Championships.

DETROIT -- For the first time since 2017, the Wayne State University women's outdoor track and field squad has at least two qualifiers for the NCAA Championships, which will be held later this month (May 22-24) at the Thunderbowl in Pueblo, Colo.

Redshirt sophomore Keneisha Thomas (Madison Heights, Mich. / Lamphere) and senior Reagan Justice (Canton, Mich. / Salem) have been selected in the 400m hurdles and 10,000m run, respectively.

QUOTING COACH LOFDAHL
"We are very excited for both Reagan and Keneisha to be competing in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. They both worked very hard, overcame health challenges, and are seeing the reward for all their time and effort.

"Reagan was ill off and on from late January to late April, and struggled to string consistent workouts together at times. She still managed to set three school records this year, and won her third straight conference 10K title. She's been close but missed the cut for NCAAs in the past, and was very determined to qualify this spring. She has been training at a very high level for several years, recently putting in some of the best workouts of her life, and is ready to make the most of her final race in a Warrior uniform.

"Keneisha burst onto the scene last spring as a redshirt freshman, setting the school record in the 400 hurdles and winning a GLIAC championship as a member of our indoor 4x400 relay team. This winter, she had a lingering injury and redshirted the indoor season, but she dominated the 400 hurdles from her season opener to the last-chance meet at Michigan, breaking the WSU record four times. She broke the 60-second barrier racing against the No. 3 hurdler in the country, and she is peaking at the right time."

Thomas earned her qualifying time of 59.88 at the Michigan Len Paddock Open on May 9th. After running a 1:02.59 in March at the Texas State Bobcat Invitational, Thomas improved her time to 1:02.26 at the Azusa Pacific Bryan Clay Invitational in April. Earlier this month, she ran a 1:00.04 at the GLIAC Championships, before becoming the first WSU 400m hurdler to go below the 60-second plateau.

Justice recorded her qualifying time of 34:52.00 at the Washington University Distance Carnival on March 27. She won the 10K race at the GLIAC Championships earlier this month, after winning the 5,000m race at the 2025 GLIAC Indoor Championships in February. In the fall, Justice was an All-American at the NCAA Division 2 cross country championships placing 37th.

In 2014, both Hall of Fame inductee Jen Rock (10,000m) and Brittany Johnson (1,500m) became the first WSU track student-athletes to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The following year (2015), Lauren Gagnon (10,000m), Chelsea Johnson (steeplechase and 5K), Kayla Balfour (10,000m and 5K) and Elizabeth Herriman (javelin) all were selected. Herriman was a three-year qualifier (2015-16-17) in the javelin, while Hall of Fame inductee Karrington Seals qualified for three consecutive years (2016-17-18) in the 100m hurdles. The most recent NCAA Championship selections were Makayla Sumrall (2022 - 100m dash) and Thailyia Christensen (2024 - steeplechase),

Both WSU relays were ranked nationally, but only the top 16 are selected for the NCAA Championships.

The 4x100m relay of Catalla Jones, Elyse Miller, Hanne Bastiaansen and Rachel Overgaard had a season-best time of 46.17 at the Hillsdale Tune-Up to rank 32nd. The 16th-ranked quartet from Northwest Missouri State had a season-best time of 45.30.

The 4x400m relay of Avery Wilson, Elyse Miller, Renae Kutcha and Makenzie Wellner posted a season-best time of 3:46.74 at the GLIAC Championships to rank 34th. The 16th-ranked foursome from Ashland had a season-best time of 3:40.05.

Thomas will run at 7:40 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Thursday, May 22 in the prelims of the 400m hurdles, while Justice will run at 8:10 p.m. (Mountain Time) later that evening in the finals of the 10,000m run. The finals for the 400m hurdles will take place on Saturday, May 24 at 7:25 p.m. (Mountain Time).

Of the 259 institutions that sponsor NCAA Division 2 women's outdoor track and field, only 116 had some qualify for this year's national championship in Pueblo.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Thailyia Christensen: Mid-Distance; 5' 3"; Redshirt Senior; 5-Indoor/4-Outdoor

Hanne Bastiaansen: Sprints; 5' 5"; Junior; 3-Indoor/2-Outdoor

Reagan Justice: Distance; 5' 3"; Senior; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor

Renae Kutcha: Sprints/Jumps; 5' 8"; Senior; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor

Elyse Miller: Sprints; 5' 9"; Junior; 3-Indoor/3-Outdoor

Rachel Overgaard: Sprints; 5' 5"; Sophomore; 2-Indoor/2-Outdoor

Keneisha Thomas: Sprints/Hurdles; 5' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore; 1-Indoor/2-Outdoor

Makenzie Wellner: Sprints/Hurdles; 5' 7"; Senior; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor

Avery Wilson: Sprints; 5' 3"; Junior; 3-Indoor/3-Outdoor

Catalla Jones: Sprints; Sophomore; 1-Outdoor

Players Mentioned

Thailyia Christensen
: 5' 3"; Redshirt Senior; 5-Indoor/4-Outdoor
: Mid-Distance

Hanne Bastiaansen
: 5' 5"; Junior; 3-Indoor/2-Outdoor
: Sprints

Reagan Justice
: 5' 3"; Senior; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor
: Distance

Renae Kutcha
: 5' 8"; Senior; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor
: Sprints/Jumps

Elyse Miller
: 5' 9"; Junior; 3-Indoor/3-Outdoor
: Sprints

Rachel Overgaard
: 5' 5"; Sophomore; 2-Indoor/2-Outdoor
: Sprints

Keneisha Thomas
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore; 1-Indoor/2-Outdoor
: Sprints/Hurdles

Makenzie Wellner
: 5' 7"; Senior; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor
: Sprints/Hurdles

Avery Wilson
: 5' 3"; Junior; 3-Indoor/3-Outdoor
: Sprints

Catalla Jones
: Sophomore; 1-Outdoor
: Sprints