May 13, 2005

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - UTA junior Kelley Jackson has missed the past five weeks of the spring season due to a strained foot. Jackson exchanged his walking cast for a cape and won the hammer throw with a toss of 168-feet to highlight the opening day of the 2005 Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships here Friday.

Jackson, who's last meet was April 2 at the Arlington Invitational, will have the distinction of winning the first hammer competition in the SLC. The event was added this year by the conference for the championships.

Elsewhere, UTA was scheduled to have freshman Jody Broccoli-Hickey compete in the 10,000-meter run late Friday and Michael Cast in the javelin. Cast had one of the top four amrks in the javelin prior to conference.

Day two of the championships begins at 8 a.m. Saturday with the completion of the decathlon. The finals of the long jump, shot put begin at 1 p.m.and the running prelims are slated for 5 p.m.

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