Jameson Shines as UM Stars Move on at US Championships
June 24, 2011
Championship Central | Live Webcast and Video | Results
EUGENE, Ore. – The University of Miami track and field program had a very successful second day of the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field.
Takecia Jameson circled the track in a personal-best time of 55.97 seconds as she and reigning U.S. champion Ti’erra Brown advanced to Saturday’s 400m hurdle final.
“I am extremely proud of Takecia today,” said Director of Track and Field Amy Deem. “We talked before the meet on the importance of her making the final and she not only advanced but ran a lifetime best in the process.”
Jameson finished second in the first of two semifinal heats while Brown won her heat in 56.06 seconds. Tomorrow’s final heat is scheduled to start at 5:21 p.m. EST.
“Ti’erra is taking care of business one round at a time,” said Deem. “She has won both her prelim and semifinal rounds which puts her in a great position for tomorrow’s final.”
Devon Hill opened the evening for the senior competitors and placed fifth in the final of four preliminary round heats with a time of 13.52 seconds – which would be a new personal-best if not for the slighting strong tailwind. The ACC champion and Trenton, N.J. native will be running in Saturday’s semifinal heat at 4 p.m. EST. If he advances, the final will be held later in the day at 5:44 p.m. EST.
“Devon ran one of his best races of the season to advance to tomorrow’s semifinal,” added Deem.
Former world and NCAA national champion Lauryn Williams finished just .002 seconds shy of advancing to the final round of the 100m dash. However, Williams will also be running in the 200m dash beginning tomorrow at 6:55 p.m. EST
Universal and NBC will combine to televise Saturday’s action. Universal will air events from 3-4:30 p.m. EST, while NBC will provide coverage from 5-6 p.m. EST.
In the junior championships, Luke Fontaine advanced to Saturday’s 1,500m finals with the seventh fastest time of the semifinal round at a personal-best time of 3:56.24.
“Luke started the day off right with a personal-best in advancing to tomorrow’s final,” said Deem. “He ran a strong race to make the final after being the last person to qualify for the meet.”
After the first three attempts in the long jump, Nicole Cummings found herself in sixth place with a mark of 5.83m (19-01.05), good enough to advance to the final flights. In her second of three finals attempts, Cummings improved her mark to 6.08m (19-11.05). The mark was good for a fifth-place finish and was a new personal-best for the Peekskill, N.Y. native.
Brooke Dovell finished the 5,000m run in a time of 18:53.67, while Lindsi Arrington crossed the finish line in 4:49.61 in the 1,500m run.
Williams, Brown, Jameson and Hill are each competing for top three finishes in their respective events, earning an automatic spot on the USA World Championship roster that will compete in Daegu, South Korea from Aug. 27-Sept. 4.
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