EUGENE, Ore. --- Junior Jeff Thies and sophomore Noah Schutte each raced top times in their respective events on the first day of competition at the NCAA Track and Field Championships this evening, advancing to their finals on Friday in Eugene, Ore. Thies finished sixth in his heat to record the sixth fastest time overall, qualifying in the 1500m final, while Schutte raced an automatic qualifying time by finishing fourth in his heat.