KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
DES MOINES, IOWA ? Erica Moore, the Indiana State record holder in the 400 meter hurdles, advanced to the semifinals in the event at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Outdoor Nationals while Stacia Weatherford advanced to the Junior National finals in the same event following competition Friday at Drake University.
“The wind really affected the competitors from the sixth hurdle on,” John McNichols, Indiana State men's track & field coach and ISU's hurdle coach, said. “Stacia won her heat but didn't have an idea of where she was at in the race because she was in lane seven. Erica ran really well through the first six hurdles but then was affected some by the wind like the other runners were.”
Moore finished third in the third heat with a time of 57.26 which advanced into the semifinals which will be run at 3:02 p.m. (ET) Saturday. She has the eighth fastest time heading into the finals but is the second fastest collegian. The finals will be run at 3:10 p.m. (ET) on Sunday.
Weatherford won her heat in the preliminaries of the 400 meter hurdle juniors with a time of 1:02.31. She has the eighth fastest time heading into the junior finals which will be run at 4:35 p.m. (ET) Saturday.
Weatherford placed 16th in the junior 100 meter hurdles with a time of 14.58.
The final two Sycamores will be competing on Sunday including senior Kylie Hutson in the women's pole vault and sophomore Major Clay in the men's high jump.
Hutson recently won her fourth straight NCAA championship in the women's pole vault and will be competing in the event at the USATF Outdoor Nationals starting at 1 p.m. (ET) Sunday. Hutson tied for 12th a year ago and will face a strong field of competitors again this year.
The Sycamore is currently ranked fourth in the United States and 22nd in the world but has the best outdoor vault of the 2010 season in the United States and the 10th best outdoor vault in the world for 2010. That jump came at the Billy Hayes Invitational when Hutson cleared 14'-9.5” (4.51 meters).
Three professional athletes are ranked above Hutson heading into the national championship including Jennifer Stuczynski Suhr who is the American Indoor and Outdoor record holder and won the event a year ago, Chelsea Johnson who is the NCAA record holder and finished second a year ago, and Lacy Janson who enters the championship with the top qualifying mark of 15'-3.5” (4.66 meters).
Suhr was the silver medalist at the 2008 Olympic Games and also earned silver at the 2008 World Indoor Championship. She is a four-time USA Outdoor and a four-time USA Indoor champion. Johnson earned silver at the 2009 IAAF World Outdoor Championships.
Hutson is no stranger to competing against the best in the nation, having competed in the 2008 Olympic Qualifying Trials (finishing tied for 13th), the 2009 USA Outdoor National Championship (finishing tied for 12th), and participating in eight NCAA Championships (winning four championships). Hutson competed against 2008 Olympians Jillian Schwartz and April Steiner Bennett at the 2010 Drake Relays Invitational Pole Vault, tying the two in height cleared but being placed third on the number of missed attempts.
Indiana State sophomore Major Clay will once again be going up against the best in the land in the men's high jump which begins at 1:15 p.m. (ET) Sunday. Clay heads into the competition ranked 17th among the competitors.
The top six come from the professional ranks including 2010 champion Tora Harris, two-time indoor champion and 2009 outdoor runnerup Andra Manson, and Dusty Jonas who recently took bronze at the 2010 World Indoor Championships and finished second at the 2010 USA Indoor Championships.
