Harris Reaches NCAA Final

June 8, 2006

Sacramento, Calif. (hurricanesports.com) – For the first time in school-history the University of Miami will have a runner in the final of the 800-meters at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Sophomore Tim Harris (Miami Booker T. Washington) ran a courageous final lap to finish third in his preliminary heat with a career-best time of 1:47.74 and automatically qualify for Saturday’s final.

“I set a goal for myself this year to make the NCAA final, but I don’t want to stop there,” said Harris after the race. “I want to be one of the best runners in the nation. The semifinal was all about determination, digging down deep and bringing it all out of me.”

The reigning ACC Champion entered the NCAA Championship as the 23rd seed but moved up from sixth to third over the final 200-meters to reach his first NCAA Outdoor final. Harris’ time bettered his previous best mark by nearly a second.

“I was telling him (Harris) that all the work that we put in over the season was making him stronger so he could get through rounds, and it paid off today,” said head coach Mike Ward. “That second lap was amazing. It was a great race for him.”

The men’s 800-meter final is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. (ET) and will be broadcast live on CBS.