May 25, 2007
DES MOINES, Iowa - Eighteen UT Arlington track and field athletes have endured the long road of the 2007 outdoor season. Now, they are now one step away from the NCAA Championship.
The Mavericks will try and qualify for the national meet when they compete in the two-day NCAA Midwest Region Track and Field Championship on the Iowa State campus beginning today. A top-five finish in an event automatically qualifies one for the 86th Annual Men's and 26th Annual Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field championship, June 6-9, in Sacramento, Calif.
Eleven members of the men's team will compete in nine events beginning with the men's pole vault at 2 p.m. Senior Shay Collett, sophomore Wade Hayes and freshman Jared Tuel have all qualified for the vault with a mark of 16-feet, 6.75-inches. Hayes bettered his personal best height by 9.5 inches for third place and all-conference honors at the Southland Conference Outdoor Championship on May 5.
The running prelims are scheduled for Friday afternoon with the Mavs' 400-meter relay of Jared Connaughton, Byron Majors, Coby Morrison and Jarid Vaughan - competing in the prelims at 2 p.m.
The Mavs' 1,600-meter relay of Majors, Vaughan, Curtis Hoyle and Eddie Beckwith will run at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Morrison, a senior from Wichita Falls, Texas, has qualified for regional in four events - the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400-meter hurdles and as a member of the 400-meter relay.
Connaughton, a will try to qualify for a trip to Sacramento, in the 100 meters, 200 meters and the 400-meter relay.
Beckwith, a transfer from Emory-Riddle University, will compete in the 400 meters and the 1,600-meter relay.
Andrew Duncan III will not compete until Saturday afternoon in the triple jump. He jumped 49-11.00 to win the North Texas Invitational in April to qualify for the region meet.
Senior Jon McDowell will compete in the men's 110-meter hurdles on Friday at 3:10 p.m. His time of 13.79 to win the SLC Outdoor Championship is the fourth fastest in school history and ranks 17th nationally this season.
The women will represented by sophomore Stacey Bennett in the high jump, Vanessa Maida in the pole vault, Kourtnee Jones in the 100 meters and the 400-meter relay, Ivorita Taylor in the 800 meters and Kin Hargers, Shana Rash and Jasmine Walls as the rest of the 400-meter relay.
Bennett will compete in the high jump on Friday at 2 p.m.
Jones, who advanced to the region finals as a junior, will compete in the 100-meter prelims at 4:10 p.m. while Taylor, a nine-time all-SLC runners, will try to advance to Saturday's finals at 5:30 p.m. today.
-utamavs.com-
