FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The fourth time was the charm for Idaho State track and field athlete Axel Tirado-Sanchez.

The Bengal record-holder in the discus has tried to qualify for the NCAA national championships three times previously, without success. But the Emmett native finally broke through with a sixth-place finish in the regionals here Friday with a throw of 58.69 meters (192 feet, 6 inches).

That qualifies him for the NCAA national championships that will be held in Eugene, Ore., June 10-13.

Tirado-Sanchez gave props to his current throws coach, Payden Campbell, for helping him prepare for the regional competition.

“I’m very thankful to have Coach Campbell as my coach,” he said in a text to the Journal. “She prepped me perfectly for this competition and we executed our plan, which was to attack all my throws and come out swinging on my first throw.”

In the regional competition, each athlete gets three attempts, with the top 12 from that day qualifying for nationals. Tirado-Sanchez noted before the competition that he’s taken time to “warm up” in past meets, where athletes typically get six throws. He was ready to give it his best shot early in the competition at regionals.

Tirado-Sanchez’s best throw this season is 60.14 meters, which ranks him 16th in the nation. Texas Tanner of Air Force has the best mark so far this year, 66.30 meters.

A three-time Big Sky discus champion, Tirado-Sanchez is looking forward to the high-level competition he’ll face in Eugene.

“I’m excited and happy, and hungry to compete in two weeks,” he said. “This has been a goal of mine since I stepped onto the ISU campus, so I’m just super-stoked and grateful to have this opportunity.”