EUGENE, Ore. – Arthur Petersen and Bryson DeBerry will by vying for national titles this week when the duo represents UT Arlington at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships from Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus.
 
Petersen will be competing in the javelin on Wednesday, June 9, beginning at 8:15 p.m. Central (6:15 Pacific). DeBerry will be partaking in the high jump on Friday, June 11, commencing at 6:30 p.m. Central (4:30 Pacific).
 
Both events will have dedicated video broadcasts via ESPN3. In addition, ESPN2 will provide comprehensive coverage from 8-10:30 p.m. Central on Wednesday during Petersen's competition window, and also 7-9:30 p.m. Central on Friday near the end of DeBerry's timeframe.
 
The duo will be looking to become the fourth, and fifth, individual national champions in UTA track and field program history, joining:
 
2018 Women's Outdoor
Alexus Henry (High Jump) – 1.82m (5-11½)
 
1990 Men's Outdoor
McClinton Neal (400m Hurdles) – 49.23
 
1982 Men's Indoor
Gilbert Smith (Long Jump) – 7.95m (26-1)
 
Petersen – the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Javelin Champion as a freshman – enters the national championships still possessing the 3rd-best throw in the country this year.
 
The Denmark native delivered a program-record toss of 77.75m (255-1) at the 93rd Clyde Littefield Texas Relays in March. The only two better throws this year are by a pair of Mississippi State teammates: Sindri Gudmundsson (79.83m; 261-11) and DJ Jonsson (78.66m; 258-1).
 
In the West Prelims two weeks ago in College Station, Petersen earned his automatic qualification to Eugene by finishing 9th in the 48-person field (top 12 in the West and East advanced) with a distance of 66.20m (217-02). Petersen will be in the first of two flights of 12 athletes each.
 
DeBerry – the silver medalist in the high jump at the 2021 Sun Belt Outdoor Championships – is coming off a record-setting performance at the West Prelims to punch his ticket to nationals.
 
A senior, DeBerry cleared a program-best 2.19m (7-2¼) bar to automatically advance after previously clearing bars of 2.01m (6-7), 2.06m (6-9) and 2.11m (6-11) all on his first attempts and 2.16m (7-1) – a height he had never before got over outdoors – on his final try.
 
The Plainview, Texas, native's previous career best in the outdoor was 2.13m (6-11¾); however, he set the indoor program record this winter as well at 2.21m (7-3). The two-time defending Sun Belt Indoor High Jump Champion finished in top-8 nationally at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in February.
 
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