Four women, seven men begin quest
to advance to NCAA Track & Field Finals
KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, IND. ? Four women and seven men will represent Indiana State University at the 2011 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championship East Preliminary Round which will be held at the Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex on the campus of Indiana University May 26-28. The announcement of those who were selected for post-season action was announced Thursday by the NCAA.
Senior Kelsey Hanley, junior Nicole Hope, and sophomores Felisha Johnson and Richelle Kimble will represent the women's team while seniors Michael Disher and Michael Roberts, juniors Major Clay, Ernest Rollins, Andrew Stull, and Jeremiah Vaughan, and freshmen Greggmar Swift will represent the men's team.
Six ISU athletes will compete on the opening day of East Preliminary Round on Thursday, May 26. Hanley and Johnson open ISU's competition as they compete in the women's hammer throw at 11 a.m. with Clay competing in the men's high jump at 1 p.m., Vaughan in the men's 1500 meters preliminaries at 5 p.m., and Hope and Kimble go in the women's pole vault at 6 p.m.
Six more will compete on the second day (Friday, May 27) with Johnson returning to compete in the women's shot put starting at 1 p.m. Swift and Roberts run in the 110 hurdle preliminaries at 5 p.m. with Rollins going in the men's triple jump at 6 p.m., Stull in the men's 200 meter preliminaries at 8 p.m., and Disher in the men's 3000 meter steeplechase at 9:10 p.m.
The final day of competition (Saturday, May 28) begins at 11 a.m. with Hanley returning to compete in the women's discus. The finals of the men's 1500 meters will be run at 6:45 p.m., the finals of the men's 110 hurdles at 7:20 p.m., and the men's finals of the men's 200 meters at 7:50 p.m.
Hanley qualified in two events and will compete in the women's hammer throw and women's discus. The senior set the Indianan State record in the women's hammer throw at 205'-4” (62.58 meters) at the 2011 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She also has ISU's second best throw in the discus at 170'-8” (52.64 meters) which she threw at the EIU Big Blue Classic this year.
The Sycamore senior competed in both events at the 2010 East Preliminary where she finished 22nd in both events. She also competed in the Mideast Regional in 2009, the last year that the NCAA conducted the regional system, placing 15th in the hammer and 27th in the discus.
Hanley is also a First Team All-American in Indoor Track & Field after placing seventh in the women's weight throw at the 2011 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. It was her third trip to the national championship in the event and her highest finish. Hanley was 13th at the 2010 Indoor Championships and 15th in 2009. She has the second best weight throw in ISU history at 68'-9.25” (29.96 meters) which she threw at the 2010 MVC Indoor Championships.
Johnson also qualified in two events and will compete in the women's hammer throw and women's shot put. The sophomore has had a tremendous season to date as she recorded the third best distance in school history for the shot put when she went 51'-7.75” (15.74 meters) at the Billy Hayes Invitational, a meet that was held at the same venue which will host the East Preliminary. Johnson also has the fourth best hammer throw in school history when she went 200'-7” (61.14 meters) at the Tom Botts Invitational.
The sophomore also has ISU's ninth best throw in discus at 151'-11” (46.31 meters) at the EIU Big Blue Classic but did not qualify in that event.
This is Johnson's second trip to the East Preliminary for the shot put after placing 15th at the 2010 East Preliminary. She is a First-Team Indoor All-American and the defending National Champion in the Indoor weight throw after winning the title at the 2011 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships with a school record throw of 74'-5.75” (22.69 meters). She was a provisional qualifier and the first athlete out for the 2010 Indoor Championships. She also ranks second on the ISU All-Time list in the Indoor shot put with a heave of 52'-2” (15.90 meters) at the 2011 MVC Indoor Championships.
Hope and Kimble will both compete in the women's pole vault as they continue a tradition of national qualifiers in the event for Indiana State.
Hope is no stranger to national competition as she qualified for the 2010 NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor Championships while a student-athlete at Ohio Northern University. She has been the top vaulter for the Sycamores since transferring to Indiana State and won the 2011 MVC Outdoor Championship and tied for second at the MVC Indoor Championships. She has the second best outdoor vault in ISU history of 13'-1.5” (4.00 meters) which she has cleared twice this season with the last coming at the Billy Hayes Invitational. She also has the third best indoor vault after clearing 12'-11.75” (3.96 meters) at the EIU Friday Night Special.
Kimble tied for second at both the MVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships during her second season as a Sycamore. She has ISU's fourth best outdoor vault after she cleared a personal best 12'-8” (3.86 meters) during the EIU Big Blue Classic and has ISU's fourth best indoor vault with a personal best 12'-5.5” (3.80 meters) indoors at the Tiger Invitational. This is her first appearance in the post season.
Disher is making his third appearance in the post season as a competitor in the 3,000 meter steeplechase after placing 31st at the 2010 East Preliminary and 22nd at the Mideast Regional in 2009. The senior has ISU's third best time in the steeplechase of 8:55.37 which he ran at the 2010 ISU Quadrangular. He has finished in the top three of the event at the MVC Outdoor Championships in each of the last three years including winning the title in 2010, finishing second this year, and placing third in 2009. His season best time of 8:59.21 was recorded at the Indiana Invitational.
The senior has been a dominant distance runner for ISU, finishing in the top 10 at the MVC Cross Country Championships the last three seasons including a second place finish during the 2010 Championships. He has ISU's second best 10K time of 30:46.67 and fifth best 8K time of 24:31. Disher also has the fourth best Indoor 5000 meter time of 14:37.39, the eighth best Indoor 3000 meter time of 8:22.56, and the fourth best outdoor 5000 meter time of 14:27.70.
Roberts is making his second trip to the East Preliminary in the 110 meter high hurdles after placing 33rd a year ago. The senior has placed in the top five of the event at the MVC Outdoor Championships all four years including a pair of second place finishes in 2009 and 2010. He was fourth this year and fifth in 2008.
A dominant sprinter and hurdler for Indiana State, Roberts has a personal best 14.21 in the 110 hurdles which he ran in the finals of the event at the 2011 MVC Outdoor Championships. He also has the 10th best indoor 60 meter hurdle time of 7.97 which he ran in finishing second at the 2011 MVC Indoor Championships. He was third in the 60 hurdles at the 2010 MVC Championships and second in 2009.
Clay will be competing in the post season for the third straight season and has reached the NCAA Finals in each of the last two years. He was named an All-American in the high jump last year after finishing 11th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships after a fourth place finish in the East Preliminary. He was fifth at the Mideast Regional in 2009 but failed to make the opening height at the NCAA Finals. He was also ninth at the USA Track & Field Championships a year ago.
The junior is a three-time MVC Outdoor Champion and cleared the third best height in ISU history of 7'-3.25” (2.22 meters) at the Pacesetter Invitational. He has also won the last two MVC Indoor titles after a third place finish in 2009 and tied the ISU indoor record by clearing 7'-4.5” (2.25 meters) at the Grand Valley Big Meet. Clay has also competed in the last two NCAA Indoor Championships and earned Second Team All-American recognition with an 11th place finish this year and finishing 12th in 2010.
Rollins is making his first trip to the post season. The junior established his personal best distance in the triple jump (the sixth best in school history) of 49'-11” (15.21 meters) in placing second at the 2011 MVC Outdoor Championships after finishing second in 2010 and fourth in 2009. Rollins won the 2011 MVC Indoor Championship in the event with a personal best distance of 48'-10.75” (15.04 meters) which is the 10th best in school history. He was second at the MVC Indoor Championships in 2010 and third in 2009.
Stull is making his first trip to the post season after finishing third in the 200 meters at the MVC Outdoor Championships with a personal best time of 21.19 which is the 10th best in school history. He was second in the event at the 2010 MVC Outdoor Championships and was also named All-Conference as a member of the 4x100 meter relay team that was second at the 2010 and 2011 MVC Outdoor Championships. He also earned All-Conference recognition as a member of the 4x400 meter relay team that won the MVC Indoor title this year.
Vaughan is another veteran distance runner for the Sycamores who is making his first trip to the post season. The junior has earned All-Conference recognition three times in the Outdoor 1500 meters after finishing second in the 2009 and 2010 Championships and third this year. He ran the second fastest 1500 meters in school history of 3:46.03 at the Indiana Invitational.
The junior was the MVC Indoor champion in the 3000 meters and second in the mile at the 2010 Championships. He is the school record holder in the indoor mile with a time of 4:04.04 set at the Alex Wilson Invitational and has the second fastest Indoor 3000 meter time (by just four hundredths of a second) of 8:08.78 ran at the Wisconsin Elite Invitational. He has also earned two All-Conference recognitions in cross country after finishing fifth in 2010 and sixth in 2009.
Swift advances to the post season in his first season as a Sycamore after running the ninth fastest 110 meter hurdle time in school history of 13.96 in placing second at the 2011 MVC Outdoor Championships. He also has the fifth fastest Indoor 60 meter hurdle time of 6.91 which he ran at the EIU Early Bird.
