Feb. 17, 2006

HOUSTON, Texas - The UTA Indoor track team looks to catch magic in a bottle this weekend as they look to return to the top of the Southland Conference with the Indoor Track Championships at the Bill Yeoman Field House here.

The 19th-annual women's championship begins at 8:30 a.m. Friday with the 60-meter hurdle leg of the pentathlon. Men's competition in the 27th-annual event begins with the 60-meter hurdles of the heptathlon at 8:50 a.m. Field events will start at 3 p.m. on Friday with the women's 20-pound weight throw. Running preliminary events are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. with the last race on Friday slated for 8:40 p.m.

Saturday's competition begins with the continuation of the heptathlon at 8:30 a.m. The day's field events will start at 11 a.m. with running finals slated for 1:30 p.m.

"This is a meet where you test yourself against the best our conference has to offer," said head coach John Sauerhage. "I think we have a chance to do some special things at this meet. We'll see where we end up in the standings, but individually, there is the opportunity to do some special things."

For the women, UTA looks to the performances of senior sprinter Ellen Garrison (St. Louis, Mo.), middle distance runner Jodi Hulett (Arlington, Texas) and Ivorita Taylor (St. Elizabeth, Jamaica).

Garrison ranks second in the women's 60-meter dash after a 7.60 time on the same track they will compete on at the conference meet. She also ranks sixth in the SLC in the 200 meters going into the meet with a 25.35.

Taylor, named the SLC Student-Athlete of the Year in Cross Country last fall, has a season-best time of 2:13.76 in the 800 meters two weeks ago at the Houston Indoor Invite.

Hulett ranks fifth in the mile run (5:10.27) and fourth in the 3,000 meters (10:03.77).

School-record holder Linda Rosema (Azle, Texas) is second in the SLC in the weight throw with a throw of 53-05.50 in her last meet -- the Houston Indoor Invitational on Feb. 3.

In the men's division, junior Jared Connaughton (Charlottetown, Canada) is ranked among the top 60 meter sprinters in the nation. He has already qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. with a SLC-best 6.70. He also posts the top 200 meters time in the league this year with a 21.51 turned in at the Houston Opener on Jan. 14, 2006.

Senior Jacob Cedertun (Elksjo, Sweden) the top mile time with a 4:10.40 this season and the third-best time in the 800 meters this season with a 1:53.87. Freshman Idilio Campos (LaJoya., Texas) is seventh with a 1:56.38.

Freshman Andrew Duncan is tied with Northwestern State's Derron Harris for the top high jump of the season in the SLC with a 6-09.5. Junior Quinchun Carey is third in the long jump with a 23-04.00 and second in the triple jump with a leap of 47-02.50.

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