KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, IND. ? Three Indiana State athletes will be competing at the 2011 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships this weekend in College Station, Tex. The list of athletes invited to compete at the championships were released Monday by the NCAA.
For the first time since 1999, Indiana State will have two competitors in the women's weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships as senior Kelsey Hanley (Arcadia, Ind.) and sophomore Felisha Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) will be in the 2011 Championships.
During the 1999 Championships, Jenny Folz and Carrie Myers both earned All-American status as Folz finished fifth and Myers ninth. Myers also earned All-American status in 2000 as she returned to the championships and placed fourth, the highest finish by an ISU athlete in the weight throw. Beth Hinton competed in the weight throw during the 2001 Championships and finished 17th.
Hanley will be making her third trip to the NCAA Indoor Championships in the women's weight throw, becoming the first ISU thrower to compete in three straight weight throw competitions at the NCAA Championships. Hanley is ranked 12th in the nation with a season best throw of 66'-08.50” (20.33 meters) she accomplished at the DePauw University Tiger Invitational on Feb. 5.
The senior placed 13th at the 2010 Indoor Championships as a junior and was 15th at the 2009 Championships as a sophomore.
Johnson will be making her first appearance at the Indoor Nationals. The sophomore enters the competition ranked second in the nation with a school record throw of 74'-02.50” (22.62 meters) accomplished in winning the event at the DePauw University Tiger Invitational on Feb. 5.
Johnson was an automatic qualifier for the championship, surpassing the automatic qualifying mark of 21.00 meters in seven of her eight indoor meets this season. She was a provisional qualifier a year ago but just missed being invited to the 2010 Championships. Johnson was ranked 18th nationally in 2010 with the top 17 receiving an invitation.
The final member of the Sycamores to be competing this weekend will be junior Major Clay (Springfield, Ill.) who will be competing in the men's high jump. Clay automatically qualified for the 2011 Indoor Championships after clearing 7'-4.5” (2.25 meters) in winning the event at the Grand Valley State Big Meet on Feb. 11.
That mark tied the Indiana State school record which was set by Steve Smith in 1991. The two-time Missouri Valley Conference Indoor High Jump champion also competed in the 2010 nationals, finishing 12th overall. He was a provisional qualifier for the 2009 nationals but did not receive an invitation.
Clay joins All-Americans Steve Smith and Steve Parker as Sycamore athletes competing in the high jump at the NCAA Championships. Smith finished second in 1991 and 1992 while Parker was fourth in 1991 and 1994.
Hanley and Johnson will be competing 5:00 p.m. (ET) on Friday with Clay jumping at 5:15 p.m. (ET) on Saturday.
Johnson currently ranks third in the United States among amateurs and professionals with Hanley 15th in the rankings. Clay ranks fifth in the United States among both amateurs and professionals.
The Indiana State women's team finished tied for 17th at the 2010 Nationals with 14 points behind Kylie Hutson's championship in the women's pole vault and Lauren Martin's fifth place finish in the triple jump. Erica Moore just missed scoring in the meet with a ninth place finish in the 800 meters while Hanley was 13th in the weight throw.
BROADCAST SCHEDULE FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
ESPN3.com will stream live portions of the event with NCAA.com/aggieathletics.com streaming the remainder. The schedule is as follows:
Friday, March 10th - 11 a.m.-4:55 p.m. (ET) at NCAA.com/aggieathletics.com and from 4:55-9:40 p.m. (ET) at ESPN3.com.
Saturday, March 11th - 1-5:55 p.m. (ET) at NCAA.com/aggieathletics.com and 6-8:50 p.m. (ET) at ESPN3.com.
The 2011 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships will air on a tape-delay basis on Wednesday, March 16, from 2:30-4:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2.
NCAA Indoor Championships Live Stats
NCAA Indoor Championships Information
CHANGE IN ALL-AMERICAN DESIGNATIONS
In a recent change to the All-American designations established by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the top eight individuals will be named First Team All-American with the next eight being named to Second Team All-American. Others competing will be named Honorable Mention All-Americans.
