May 26, 2011

EUGENE, Ore. - Three UT Arlington athletes - Ivan Storic, Jeff Rodriguez and Casey Keeter - qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships Thursday in the NCAA West Regional in Eugene, Ore.

All three will compete in the NCAA Championships in two weeks at Drake University in Des Moines, Ia.

"We just competed really well," Sauerhage said. "More importantly they did what they were capable of when it matters the most. Now we just have to see if they can do it again at the national meet. Our goal is to finish in the top 20 in the nation."

Sprinters Cordero Gray and Clayton Vaughn advanced to the regional finals in the 100m.

Storic finished eighth in the javelin in impressive fashion. He landed one throw of 70.01 meters, turning in the second-longest throw in UT Arlington program history.

Keeter gave the Mavericks another national finalist in the shot put with a throw of 17.64 meters. His throw enabled the senior to capture the 12th and final spots and advance by one centimeter.

Rodriguez had the highest finish among UTA athletes on the day. In the pouring rain, the sophomore tied for fifth in the pole vault with a leap of 5.20 meters.

Gray and Vaughn finished second and ninth, respectively, in the preliminary round of the 100m. Gray recorded a time of 10.29 and Vaughn produced a season-best time of 10.39.

Several UT Arlington athletes return to competition on Friday.