Hurricanes Begin Competition Tomorrow at NCAA Outdoor Championships
June 10, 2008
DES MOINES, <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Iowa– The University of Miami’s track and field teams will open competition at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships tomorrow at DrakeUniversity’s Drake Stadium.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
The Hurricanes will begin with the field events at 4 p.m. as senior Khadija Talley and junior Viktoria Andonova will look to qualify in the shot put and high jump, respectively.
Talley qualified for the shot put with a career-best mark of 17.02m (55-10.25) at the NCAA East Regional, finishing in second place and giving her a No. 9 national ranking. The top eight regional finishers move on to the national championships.
Andonova, after reaching a height of 1.75m (5-08.75) for seven consecutive weeks, leapt her season-high of 1.81m (5-11.25) in her second-place effort, qualifying for tomorrow’s opening round, with a No. 16 ranking.
Two freshmen hurdlers for the women are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. in the first round of the 400-meter hurdles, as Takecia Jameson (56.60) and Ti’erra Brown (56.72) bring the nation’s fourth and fifth best times into the national championships.
Also competing for the women will be the 14th-ranked 4×100 relay team of freshmen Tara Thomas and Charlene Fuller, sophomore Kristy Whyte and the four-time All-American junior Krista Simkins. Their semi-final round is set to get under way at 4:30 p.m.
Four-time All-American and six-time ACC Champion Tim Harris is the lone male competitor for the Hurricanes. He will look to improve upon his 2006 national championship finish, where he came in seventh place. The No. 4 ranked 800-meter runner ran his career-best time of 1:47.12 and in March finished fourth at the NCAA Indoor National Championships. The senior is scheduled to start his first round race at 5:15 p.m.
All start times are Central Standard Time.
