A quarter of an inch ?” thinner than a Razor cell phone. One-tenth of a second ?” a blink of an eye. That’s what can make the difference between going to the Big Sky Championships and staying at home.

Many Sacramento State track and field athletes will be entering the final two regular season meets, both at home, trying to hit qualifying marks to advance to the Big Sky Championships. Others are trying for much more.

All-American David Nichols, a junior, doesn’t need to worry about qualifying in the shot put. He did that back in March when he not only qualified for the May 10-13 Big Sky Championships, but the May 26-27 NCAA West Regional Championships as well.

Nichols, whose longest put this year is 61 feet, 8 1/4 inches, said he is searching for consistency heading into Saturday’s Sacramento Invitational.

“I’m not happy with my timing,” he said.

Eight other Hornets have qualified for the NCAA West Regional Championships: Raphael McFarlane, long jump; Andre Wright, 110 hurdles; Daniel Imlach, pole vault; Chris Kirkwood, javelin; Roshena Duree, 100 hurdles; Lori Vaught, long jump; Ashley Arbuckle, shot put; and Liz Parsley, javelin.

The top three finishers in each western regional event automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, scheduled for June 7-10 at Sac State.

Nichols said he will stop his weight training after the May 6 Modesto Relays to prepare for the Big Sky and NCAA championships. The shot putter is one in a small group of Hornets who will compete in Modesto instead of the May 5 Sacramento State Open.

“I am trying to peak at the end of the season,” Nichols said.Last season Nichols broke the school’s shot put record at the Big Sky Championships with a 62-5 1-4 mark. That mark was good for the 14th best by an NCAA athlete last year.

“Dave is a great athlete. He is passionate about what he does,” track director Kathleen Raske said. “He is a man with big dreams and a big future.”

While track is mostly an individual sport, this Saturday’s meet will be team scoring.

Raske said Nichols’ enthusiasm helps his team.

“His fire can be contagious,” she said.

Raske also said running on one of the fastest tracks in the world at Sac State and not having to travel should help some of the track athletes meet qualifying times.

The first chance for those athletes comes Saturday. The final chance before the Big Sky Championships will come at the Sacramento State Open.

Robert Alvis can be reached at [email protected]