April 29, 2006

DES MOINES, Iowa - UT Arlington junior sprinter Jared Connuaghton gave the spectators of the Drake Relays a possible glimpse of the 200-meter dash at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

Connaughton showed why he may be Canada's next great sprinter with a time of 21.10 seconds to finish third in an elite race featuring Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner (20.67) and Ricardo Williams (20.93). The time was not Connaughton's top time of the year. He recorded a 20.59 at the Bobby Lane Arlington Invitational in March.

UTA's shuttle hurdle relay team of Edward Broadnax, Adam Stafford, Collier McKenzie and Jon McDowell could not defend its 2005 championship with a third-place finish with a time of 58.07. Iowa State kept the title in Iowa with a 57.48 and Colorado State took second place with a 57.88.

UTA's sprint relay team of Quinchun Carey, Coby Morrison, Byron Majors and Jared Connaughton finished fifth with a time of 41.53. Houston won the event with a time of 39.49.

In the women's elite 800 meter race, UTA coach Mishael Bertrand-Berger clocked a time of 2:05.51 to finish second behind Kansas State's Lysairea Roman Del Valle.

A number of athletes competed at the Rice Twilight Invitational on Saturday.

The UTA Open is slated for Friday and Saturday at Maverick Stadium. The meet is the final tune-up before the Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, May 13-15, at Maverick Stadium.