SAN ANGELO, Tex. -  T is for Texas. Thursday night in San Angelo, T was also for Tori Tyler. Chico State's Tyler and Alia Gray finished fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 10,000-meter National Championship to wrap up the opening day of the 2009 NCAA Track & Field Championships in San Angelo, capping a solid day for the Wildcats.

Tyler, only a sophomore, clocked the third fastest 10,000-meter time in Chico State history - 35:57.17 - and Gray, a freshman, was not far behind, finishing in 36:05.13. That's less than a 10th of a second of her PR, which is the fourth fastest 10,000-meter time in Chico State history.

In the only other final event of the day that featured a Chico State athlete, Jimmy Elam finished one spot shy of All-American recognition, crossing the line in ninth place in the men's 10,000-meters in 31:07.

Michael Wickman, perhaps Chico State's best hope for a National Title, advanced to the finals of the 1,500-meters by winning Thursday's first heat in 3:51.33. He'll take part in the 800-meter preliminaries scheduled for 6:55 p.m. Friday, and hopes to compete in the 1,500-meter finals Saturday at 6:15 p.m., just minutes before the 800-meter final at 7:46.

Shannon McVannel also moved on to the finals in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She finished sixth in the faster of two heats in 11:02.05. The final is scheduled for Saturday at 5:10 p.m.

Beau Rogers cruised through the preliminary round of the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, qualifying for Saturday's 5:25 p.m. final with a clocking of 9:21.90. His teammate, California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) steeplechase champion Jose Garcia, struggled to a 10:00.72 and did not advance to the final.

The fate was the same for 400-meter hurdler Oliver Shabram, whose 54.58 effort left him shy of the finals. He finished seventh in his heat.

Jake Nelson sprinted into the lead in the men's decathlon, only to limp away from the long jump pit and out of the competition. Nelson exploded out of the blocks en route to a 10.89 100-meters and led the competition after the first of 10 events. He hurt his leg on his first long jump attempt, however, and was forced to miss the rest of the competition.

Heptathlete Kelly Clancey is in 15th place through four of seven events (the final three will take place Friday) with 2,634 points.

The action continues Friday as Clancey continues to try to move up in the heptathlon rankings beginning with the long jump at 9 a.m. Matt Jarvis' quest for All-American honors in the shot put begins at 3 p.m. Ryan Bertucci will begin the high jump finals at 3:10. Wickman, Clinton Hayes, and David Wellman will attempt to advance to the 800-meter finals in the preliminaries, which begin at 4:55. Also attempting to qualify for finals Friday night  are Kara Lubieniecki (Women's 5,000-meter preliminaries at 6:15) and Tim Cannon and Angel Marquez (men's 5,000-meter preliminaries at 6:45).

Follow the action live online beginning Thursday at www.flashresults.com.