June 2, 2006

Coral Gables, Fla. (hurricanesports.com) – For the first time since 1982 the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be televised live on network television.

CBS will broadcast 2½ hours of the final day of competition (3:30-6 p.m. ET) on Saturday, June 10. In addition, CSTV announced that it will air two hours (8-10 p.m. ET) of competition on Friday, June 9 marking the first time in the 86 year history of the Championships that the second to last day has been televised.

The University of Miami will send 11 women and one man to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, June 7-10, in Sacramento, Calif.

The Hurricane women, ranked third in both the USTFCCCA Coaches poll and the Trackwire 25 rankings, will be bringing one of the strongest groups in school-history to the outdoor championships. Miami will have competitors in seven individual events as well as the 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays.

Senior Dominique Darden (Harrisburg, Pa.) automatically qualified for next week’s NCAA Championships in three events. Darden won the 400-hurdles, anchored the winning 4×400-meter relay and ran the third leg of the runner-up 4×100-meter relay at the NCAA East Regional. Other women automatically qualifying in multiple events included senior Charlette Greggs (200m, 4x100R), junior Ginou Etienne (800m, 4x400R) and junior Tabia Charles (long jump, triple jump).

Miami received four at-large selections earlier this week including senior India Ransom (100m), junior Brenda Faluade (long jump), junior Amy Seward (long jump) and junior Akera Lathan (shot put). In addition to their at-large selections Ransom (4x100R), Faluade (triple jump) and Seward (4x100R) were automatic qualifiers in other events.

Five UM individuals and both relays enter the NCAA Championships seeded in the top-8 of their respective events.

Etienne, the NCAA East Regional Champion at 800-meters, ranks fourth in the nation in the event. Darden has won four of five 400-hurdle events this season and has the third fastest time in the nation. Charles ranks No. 1 in the nation in the triple jump and third in the long jump, while Faluade ranks No. 2 in the nation in the triple jump. Miami’s 4×100-meter relay has the sixth fastest time in the nation this season. The 4×400-meter relay has the top time in the nation and is the favorite heading into the championships after major wins at the Texas Relays, Penn Relays and NCAA East Regional.

On the men’s side, sophomore Tim Harris was an automatic qualifier in the 800-meters finishing fourth at the NCAA East Regional.