TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? If they want to earn a spot at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June, nine members of the Indiana State team will first have to post strong performances this weekend at the 2008 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Ark.
A top-five finish in any individual event or a top-three finish in a relay automatically qualifies athletes for the NCAA Championships. After the automatic qualifiers have been identified from each of the four regional meets (West, Mid-West, Mid-East, East), the next seven declared athletes in each event will be thrown into the national at-large pool, based on the regional performance. The at-large athletes are then listed in order of their best performance of the year, including any marks established at the regional meet, and the top performers will be selected as at-large participants.
The men's team will have five representatives in the meet, including junior Sean Wright who will compete in both the 200 and 400 meter dashes over the weekend. He will be joined by fellow junior and 2008 Missouri Valley Conference outdoor champion in the discus, Julius Smith, and by seniors Sean Bowman (steeplechase), Steve Daniel (triple jump) and Gary Ogburn (200 meter). Like Wright, Bowman and Daniel both head into the meet as conference champions in their respective events while Ogburn was named an All-MVC selection in the 100 meter dash and as a member of the 4x100 meter relay team.
Heading into the meet, Daniel seems to be the favorite to advance, as he heads in with the seventh-best mark in the region and the 26th best in the country. However, head coach John McNichols believes that all of his competitors will have a chance to move on.
“Heading in, Sean looks like the favorite to advance but anything can happen at these regionals,” said McNichols. “Getting here was the hard part for these guys, as they had to battle tough weather conditions all season long and that hindered some of their performances. However, now each of them has a chance to go head-to-head with the best athletes in the region and I'm extremely optimistic about each of their chances this weekend.”
The women's team brings a quartet of competitors to the meet this weekend, led by sophomores Kylie Hutson and Erica Moore. Hutson and Moore both qualified for the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship earlier this year and both have aspirations for qualifying for the outdoor meet as well. Hutson, the MVC outdoor champion and all-time record holder in the pole vault, heads into the meet with the second-best jump in the region and the fifth-best in the country this season. Moore also heads in as a favorite, as her mark in the 400 hurdles currently ranks fifth in the region and 12th in the country.
Sophomore Lauren Martin and junior Jeann? Middleton round out the group of ISU women competing this weekend at the regional meet. Martin heads in after winning the conference title in the triple jump and with the 10th best jump in the region and Middleton brings all-conference honors in the 100 meter dash and as member of the 4x100 meter relay team with her as well. Head coach John Gartland believes he has a group of very talented competitors heading to Arkansas this weekend.
“Our goal all season has been to qualify individuals for the NCAA Championships and this weekend four members of our team will have a chance to do just that,” said Gartland. “They have all worked very hard to get to this point and each will have to perform extremely well to move on. Kylie and Erica both head in with top-five marks in the region, but Lauren has a strong mark in the region as well and Jeann? can run faster than she has this season. It should be a very exciting weekend and I look forward to seeing how we compete with some of the best athletes in the country.”
Action for the Sycamores will begin on Friday, May 30, with Huston competing in the women's pole vault at approximately 4 p.m. The day will wrap up with Wright and Ogburn competing in the men's 200 meter prelims at approximately 7:50 p.m. Action on Saturday, May 31, will begin at 4 p.m. with Martin competing in the women's triple jump and will conclude with Bowman competing in the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase at 7:40 p.m.
