May 27, 2006

AUSTIN, Texas - UT-Arlington junior Jared Connaughton punched his ticket to the NCAA National Track and Field Championships with a time of 20.67 seconds in the 200 meters at the NCAA Midwest Regional Track and Field Championships Saturday evening here.

Connaughton, the 2006 SLC Outdoor champion in both the 100 and 200 meters, finished third behind UTEP's Churandy Martina (20.54) and Houston's Carey LaCour (20.61) in the finals to advance to the nationals, June 7-10, in Sacramento, Calif.

Connaughton led at the turn and had a slim lead with 50 meters to go, before Martina and LaCour edged him at the finish line.

"He did a great job, ran the exact ran he needed to," said UTA assistant track coach Kyle White. "We have been working on his mechanics for the first 50 meters of the race last week and he got off to a great start. He realized today that he can run with those guys. It was a really nice race to watch."

UTA track athlete Jon McDowell, Shay Collett and female sprinter Kourtnee Jones will wait to see if they receive an at-large berth in the upcoming national meet.

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