Valparaiso University senior Jacob Smutz (West Lafayette, Ind./Harrison) will close out his Crusader career in the postseason, as he has qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the hammer throw and will compete next Thursday, May 26 in Jacksonville, Fla.

Smutz posted a mark within the top-48 in the region with his record-setting effort earlier this season at the DePaul Invitational. After having already broken the program’s record in the hammer earlier in the outdoor season, Smutz unleashed a toss of 62.45m (204’11”) to surpass his own previous best by better than two feet and win the event by more than 13 feet.

The NCAA East Preliminary Round will be held May 26-28 in Jacksonville on the campus of the University of North Florida. The top twelve competitors from each individual event will advance from each Preliminary site to the National Championships at the University of Oregon on June 8-11 at historic Hayward Field.