Hurricanes Begin Competition At NCAA Championships
Sacramento, CA (hurricanesports.com) – The largest contingent of qualifiers University of Miami history traveled to Sacramento for the 2003 NCAA Track and Field Championships with high expectations, and on Wednesday, the opening day of competition, they showed why.
Led by sophomore All-American Lauryn Williams (Rochester, PA) four of the five NCAA individual qualifiers that competed on day one of the championships advanced in their respective events, as well as the 4×100-meter relay. Miami brought a school-record 10 individual qualifiers to the NCAA Championships. The remaining five individual qualifiers as well as the 4×400-meter relay begin competition on Thursday.
Williams, who finished sixth in the 100-meters at last year’s NCAA Championships, advanced to the NCAA final for the second consecutive year after running two strong races on Wednesday. In the morning session Williams cruised to a victory in her first-round heat in a time of 11.57. She came back in the evening session to post a time of 11.48 in her semifinal heat to advance on to Friday’s final.
Williams, the 2002 World Junior Champion at 100-meters and the sixth seed entering the NCAA Championships, also ran the opening leg of the 4×100-meter relay that advanced to Friday’s final.
The nation’s sixth-ranked team of Williams, freshman Charlette Greggs (Miami Northwestern), freshman Dominique Darden (Harrisburg, PA), and senior Sashanie Simpson (Miami, FL) finished second in its preliminary heat in a school-record time of 43.96 seconds. The foursome is attempting to become the first Hurricane 4×100-meter relay since 1995 to earn All-America honors.
In the 800-meters, senior Patricia Pearson (Jacksonville, FL) advanced to Thursday’s semifinals finishing fourth in her first round heat in a time of 2:06.06. Pearson, the 2003 BIG EAST Champion, recorded her second fastest time of the season and looks to be returning to the form that earned her All-America honors as a sophomore in 2001.
Senior All-American Sharianne Lawson (Palm Beach Lakes) finished third in her preliminary heat of the 100-meter hurdles to automatically qualify for Thursday’s semifinals. Lawson, the 2003 BIG EAST Champion, finished in a time of 13.56 seconds.
Also advancing Wednesday was senior All-American Jamillah Wade (Philadelphia, PA) in the 400-meter hurdles. Wade finished third in her first round heat in a time of 58.65 seconds to earn a place in Thursday’s semifinals.
