March 9, 2006

FAYETTEVILE, Ark. - UT-Arlington junior sprinter Jared Connaughton will carry the Mavericks banner to the 2006 NCAA Indoor Track Championships at the Randal Tyson Field House on Friday and Saturday.

The men's 60-meter prelims are schedule at 6:15 p.m., Friday, with the finals Saturday at 7:15 p.m.

Connaughton won the Southland Conference indoor title with a meet record time of 6.68 seconds in one semifinal heat and later finished second in the finals with a 6.85.

He just missed qualifying for the 200 meters. His personal-best time of 21.27 at the Iowa Qualifiers meet last week was just .04 seconds shy off qualifying for the national meet. Connaughton set the 200-meter indoor record with a 21.57 at the 2006 Southland Conference Indoor Championships in Houston, Feb. 18.

Connaughton, who won two gold medals at the Canada Summer Games in 2005, is ranked 12th in Division I, but one-tenth of a second behind the top qualifier, Jacob Norman of Baylor's 6.58. The top-eight individuals in the finals earn all-American honors.

Connaughton would become the first Maverick since Elston Cawley to earn all-American honors. Cawley placed third in the 200 meters at the 1998 NCAA Indoor Championships.

- utamavs.com -