UNDER THE BANNER
What's Going On In and Around Black College Sports
HEADED TO NATIONALS: Eleven (11) Mid Eastern Athletic Conference athletes and four athletes
from the Southwestern
Athletic Conference have qualified for the NCAA Division I Outdoor
Track and Field Championships based on performances at regional sites
last weekend. Southern long jumper Monica
Robinson, Hampton triple jumper Yvette
Lewis and Jackson State 400 meter hurdler
Michael Tinsley will compete in the nationals as regional champions.
Robinson, who won the SWAC long jump title, was crowned Mideast
Regional champion in Knoxville with a leap of 6.40 Meters (21'0"). After
winning the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championship in the women's
triple jump, Lewis took one step closer to adding an outdoor crown
to her resume when she won the NCAA East Regional on
the campus of N. C. A&T in Greensboro with a meet record
jump of 13.73m (45'.5"). Tinsley broke his previous Mideast
Regional record in the 400 hurdles, setting a new mark of 48.63
and capturing the championship title. Joining the regional
champions from the East Regional will be Kellie
Wells, Terry Thornton and the 4x400m relay team of
Lester Caesar, Terrance Burton, Andrew
Peresta and Thornton, of Hampton, A&T's
Courtney Clark and Brandon Via, Lauren
McNary and Jacoby DuBose of Howard
and Florida A&M sprinter Chris
Hargett. Additional HBCU qualifiers from the Mideast
Regional were Alabama State's Arthur Hinton and
Jackson State's Joel Williams. Wells finished fifth in the 100m
hurdles with a time of 13.17. This will be her second trip to
the championships after qualifying in 2004. After struggling to
an eighth place finish in the 110 hurdles, Thornton placed fourth
in the 400 hurdles to earn his second trip to the finals in three
years. In the final event of the day, the Hampton relay team ran
what is believed to be a school record 3:05.49 to finish third in
the 4x400 relay. It will be the first trip to the NCAA
Championships for Thornton's teammates. Clark took advantage of
familiar surroundings by finishing fifth in the 400 meter hurdles with
a time of 58.98. Three weeks ago she broke the A&T
school record in the 400 hurdles at the MEAC Outdoor
Championships on the same track. She and teammate Via, who finished third
in the triple jump with a leap of 16.04m will be making their
first trip to the nationals. McNary earned her spot by finishing
fourth in the 400 meter dash while DuBose placed fifth in the
110 hurdles. FAMU's Hargett was a double qualifier, finishing
third in the 100m dash (10.23) and fifth in the 200m dash
(20.78). JSU's Williams made the list by finishing fifth in the 800
meter dash posting a time of 1:49.26. Bama State's Hinton
qualified when he tied for third place in the high jump (5.5m). The
NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Finals will be held June
7-10 at Hornet Stadium on the campus of Sacramento (Ca.) State.
© 2006 Azeez Communications, Inc.