One of the biggest weekends for NCAA track and field is loaded with local talent

This is one of the biggest weeks in college track and field in all three NCAA divisions.

In Division I, the four-day West and East Preliminary meets began Wednesday. The top 12 individuals in each event and top 12 teams in the relays at each preliminary meet will qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships from June 9-12 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

The Gophers have 19 women competing in 14 different events plus two relays (4x100 and 4x400) and 17 men in 10 events and the same two relays at the West meet in College Station, Texas, including a handful who could place in the top five. (The East Preliminary meet is in Jacksonville, Fla.)

Four Gophers to watch are:

• Freshman Abigail Schaaffe of St. Mary, Jamaica, in the women's 400 hurdles (quarterfinals 7:55 pm Saturday). She is the sixth seed in the West with a time of 57.25 seconds. She won the 400 hurdles in the Big Ten outdoor meet in mid-May.

• Redshirt senior Bethany Hasz in the 5,000 meters (semifinals 8:30 pm Saturday — second to last event). She is only the 12th seed (11:41.98) but has had a tremendous final season so that's a bit deceiving. The native of Alexandria, Minn., was second in the 5,000 in the NCAA Indoor Championships and, three days later, placed eighth in the NCAA cross-country meet after winning the Big Ten cross-country meet. In the Big Ten outdoor track and field meet, she was first in the 10,000 and second in the 5,000.

• Redshirt senior Alec Basten of Green Bay, Wis., in the 3,000 steeplechase (quarterfinals 6:10 pm Friday). He is the second seed (8:33.20) — only about a half-second (0.58) behind Oklahoma State's Ryan Smeeton. He won the steeplechase in the Big Ten meet. He took 14th in steeplechase in the NCAA meet in 2019 as a sophomore.

• Junior Phillipe Barnett of Greenacres, Fla., is the fourth seed in the discus (first round 1:30 pm Friday) with a toss of 195 feet, 4 inches. He joined the Gophers track and field team for this past indoor season as a transfer from Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kan. He was a NJCAA national runner-up twice, in the discus as a freshman and in the indoor weight throw as a sophomore.

On Wednesday, Kostas Zaltos of the Gophers finished second in the men's hammer throw. The redshirt freshman from Kilikis, Greece, threw a personal-best 232 feet, 11 inches, qualifying him to the NCAA Championships on June 9-12 in Eugene, Ore.

Small college national title threats

What's also a bit outside the usual is the number of elite athletes at in-state or area colleges. Four athletes and one relay are seeded No. 1 or 2 in the Division II meet, starting Thursday in Allendale, Mich., and five athletes are among the top two seeds in the Division III meet, starting Thursday in Greensboro, N.C.

Here's a list of who to watch in those national meets:

Division II

Men

Discus: Marcus Gustaveson of Concordia (St. Paul) is the second seed with a throw of 59.06 meters (final 2:05 p.m. Friday). He is a senior from Wheaton, Ill. He won the discus and shot put in the NSIC outdoor meet.

Women

10,000 meters: Ida Narbuvoll of the University of Mary is the second seed with a time of 33 minutes, 32.69 seconds (final 7:55 p.m. Thursday). … She is also the fifth seed in the 5,000 (16:03.40). The graduate student won the 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 in the NSIC outdoor meet for the Marauders. She is from Narbuvoll, Norway. (Yes, her hometown and last name are the same.)

100 hurdles: Denisha Cartwright of Minnesota State Mankato is the top seed (13:54). (Final 5:45 p.m. Saturday.) This is Cartwright's first time at the NCAA Outdoor Championship, and she will be in two other individual events (100, 200) and the 4x100 relay. She was an All-America in four events at the 2021 Indoor Track & Field Championships. She is a junior from Nassau, Bahamas.

4x100 relay: Minnesota State Mankato is the top seed, anchored by Cartwright (45.24). (Final 5:05 p.m. Saturday.)

Triple Jump: D'Andra Morris of Mary is the second seed (13.24 meters). (Final 5:10 p.m. Friday.) She is a senior from Kingston, Jamaica.

Others

Fourth seed: Emma Hertz, Sioux Falls, women's discus (53.60 meters).

Fifth seeds: Chris Cook, Minnesota Morehead, and Deveyonn Brown, Minnesota State Mankato, men's high jump (2.14 meters); Tyl Woelber, Augustana, decathlon (7,302 points); Elizabeth Acheson, Mary, women's 800 (2:08.90); Zoe Carrasco, Bemidji State, women's shot put (15.54 meters).

Overall 27 female athletes from the NSIC will compete in 32 individual events in the three-day NCAA Division II track and field meet starting Thursday in Allendale, Mich. Winona State also qualified two relays and Minnesota State Mankato one relay for the meet. On the men's side, there will be 12 men from the NSIC in 13 events.

Division III

Men

5,000 meters and 3,000 steeplechase: Matthew Wilkinson of Carleton is the top seed in both events with times of 13:58.25 and 8:44.01 — the third best time in D-III history. He is a senior from Minnetonka High School.

110 hurdles: Taylor Rooney of Gustavus is the top seed (13.72). He is a senior and an Andover High School alum. He became the first Gustie to win a title at the Drake Relays this year.

400 hurdles: Joel Smith of Bethel is the second seed (52.10). He is a junior and a Mounds View High School alum.

Women

Shot put: Junior Megan Gehrke of St. Thomas is the second seed (48-9). She is also tied for the fifth seed in the discus (150-5). She attended Faribault High School.

Others

Third seeds: Birgen Nelson, Gustavus, 100 hurdles (14.06); Berit Borstad, St. Thomas, women's hammer throw (183-3)

Fourth seed: Ryan Miller, St. John's, men's 100 (10.53)

Fifth seeds: Lucas Mueller, Carleton, men's 10,000 (29:46.75); Tyler Sealock, Bethel, 400 hurdles (52.86); Stephen Peper, St. Olaf, men's high jump (6-9½); Gabe Irons, Bethel, men's discus (172-6); Clara Mayfield, Carleton, women's 10,000 (35:33.86); Kelsie Sealock, Bethel, women's 100 hurdles (14.14); Nelson, Gustavus, 100 hurdles (1:01.95)

Overall 23 MIAC female athletes will compete in 27 individual events in the three-day NCAA Division II track and field meet starting Thursday in Greensboro, N.C. Bethel and St. Thomas also qualified one relay. The MIAC men's teams also will have 23 athletes there in 25 events and one relay each from Bethel, St. John's and St. Mary's.